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DAPB1605: Accessible Information

This information standard aims to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss get appropriate information and communication support from NHS and adult social care services.

About this information standard

The accessible information standard sets out how providers and commissioners of NHS and publicly funded adult social care services should ensure disabled people and people with impairments or sensory loss:

  • can access and understand information about NHS and adult social care services
  • receive the communication support they need to use those services

Effective implementation will require such organisations to make changes to policy, procedure, human behaviour and, where applicable, electronic systems. Commissioners of NHS and publicly funded adult social care must also have regard to this standard, in so much as they must ensure that contracts, frameworks and performance management arrangements with provider bodies enable and promote the standard's requirements.

This information standard is published under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. It supports compliance with obligations under the Equality Act 2010.


Publication information

June 2025

Changes have been made to the documentation to support the standard.

Scope (Health and Social Care Act 2012)

All organisations that provide NHS or adult social care services are covered by the standard.

This includes:

  •  ICBs
  • commissioners
  • NHS trusts
  • GP practices
  • ambulance services
  • private hospitals and organisations providing NHS services, such as dentists
  • local authorities
  • adult social care and any similar commissioned services
Type Standard
Approved by  Data assurance board
Date of approval 3 June 2025
Release number 30/2025
Release title Version 4.0 
Stage Implementation
Assurance end date 30 June 2027
Key documents Information Standards Notice
Further information

All supporting information is published in accessible format 
Accessible Information Standard 

Help desk 

[email protected]t

Note

A post-implementation review (PIR) of the Initial Standard was conducted from January to March 2017; details of the review findings were provided in a report which was presented to the Data Coordination Board in June 2017 as part of the approval of Version 1.1 of the standard. Find out more about the PIR and view the report.


Previous releases

September 2023

Following the Data Alliance Partnership Board meeting on 23 September 2023, the approval date for this item was extended for a three year period until September 2026.

Last edited: 29 July 2025 1:46 pm