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Reasonable Adjustment Policy
Document Title: Reasonable Adjustments Policy
Objective: To improve and record methods of communication with the Practice for all patients with learning disabilities or impairments recognised under the Equality Act (2010)
Author including Role: Practice Manager
Approved by: Managing Partner
Date Created: 5th July 2024
Review Date: July 2026
Local Document Location: Teamnet Library
Introduction
West Malling Group Practice endeavours to provide high quality patient services. This policy details what a reasonable adjustment is and our responsibility and considerations when reviewing your request.
We will take all reasonable steps to ensure we are compliant with the Equality & Diversity regulations and legislation.
This policy confirms our process for considering patient requests for reasonable adjustments and our commitment to improving accessibility for all our patients. In addition to detailing some of the basic principles of our legal duties to provide reasonable adjustments.
What is reasonable adjustment?
- A reasonable adjustment is a change to the way we do things to ensure all patients have access to our services. For example:
- Providing longer appointment time to support patients with learning disabilities or impairments to give more time for discussion and understanding.
- Providing an interpreter to overcome language barriers, or other equipment to amplify hearing or offering speech to text communication.
- Providing alternative methods of communication, ie email or text.
- Providing appropriate environments to support patients with sensory issues.
- We will discuss requirements with patients with the intention of reaching agreement on what reasonable adjustments can be implemented.
Legal duties in relation to disabled people
The Equality Act 2010 requires us to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled patients – defined by the Act to those with physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long- term adverse effect on that person’s ability to care out normal day-to-day activities.
Duty to make reasonable adjustments as a service provider
As a service provider, we have a duty to make reasonable adjustments if the services we provide places a disabled person at a “substantial disadvantage” compared to a person with no disabilities. Our aim is to consider what reasonable adjustments can be made to remove any disadvantage.
Requesting reasonable adjustments
To request a reasonable adjustment, please request a form at reception or alternatively via our website westmallinggp.nhs.uk, under “self help”, which can be printed and handed in at reception. It is also possible to complete a communication card with the same “self-help” tile on the website, which you may find useful.
To ensure patients are aware we can provide reasonable adjustments, we will:
- Publish this policy on our website.
- Ask patients if they require any reasonable adjustments over the telephone.
- Ask patients opportunistically during consultations.
- Inform patients via posters displayed at the practice.
- Continue to use our new patient registration questionnaire to gather information about patients’ reasonable adjustments.
What types of reasonable adjustments can we offer
Reasonable adjustment requests will be considered individually. There are already reasonable adjustments in place to support patients:
- Online triage service – patients are able to complete a request for clinical and non- clinical issues online using Anima our triage service
- Offering longer appointment time for those with learning disability or mental health problems
- Offering preferred appointment time of day
- Providing an interpreter / sign language
- Providing video consultations
- Providing sound amplifier during face to face appointments
- Providing telephone consultations involving RELAY UK (speech to text service)
- Communicating via email (consent required)
- Communicating via text (consent required)
- Providing documents with larger font size
Responding to reasonable adjustment requests
We will endeavour to respond to reasonable requests as soon as possible. With regards to complex requests, we will aim to work with you to agree a reasonable adjustment to overcome the issue.
How to decide what is reasonable
We will consider if the request will overcome the difficulty. How practical it is to implement the adjustment and whether there are resources available in terms of cost.
Recording and monitoring
Reasonable Adjustments will be recorded in patient records to trigger alert flags reminding staff of the patient’s reasonable adjustments.
All staff are responsible for asking patients if they have any reasonable adjustments and updating the records accordingly. This applies to new patients and monitoring of existing patients.
Sharing your reasonable adjustments with other healthcare providers
The NHS has introduced the Reasonable Adjustments Digital Flag tool. This enables practices to record patients’ reasonable adjustments using an approved NHS template with an option to share with other healthcare providers upon consent from the patient to do so.
Your consent will enable other healthcare providers to offer the agreed reasonable adjustment when you attend other health related appointments for example at the hospital.