DAPB4019: Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag

Under the Equality Act 2010, organisations have a legal duty to make changes in their approach or provision, called reasonable adjustments, to ensure that services are as accessible to people with disabilities as they are for everyone else. This duty aims to address the recognition that people with disabilities may have equal access to care and services, but without specific adjustments being made, that access may not be equitable.

NHS England has built the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag in the NHS Spine to enable health and care professionals to record, share and view details of Reasonable Adjustments across the NHS, wherever the person is treated. The flag indicates that Reasonable Adjustments are required for an individual and optionally includes details of their significant impairments, underlying conditions and key adjustments that should be considered.

The flag aims to enable:

• Clear identification of all patients for whom Reasonable Adjustments may be required.
• Identification of patients with impairments including learning disability or autism (and all other relevant key impairments).
• Identification and sharing of key adjustments that will help a care episode go well or happen at all.
• Ubiquitous, consistent visibility and structure of the information – wherever a patient is treated in health and care.
• Identification and maintenance of the information recorded and shared through the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag in conjunction with the wishes of patients and carers - leading to tailored, personalised care.

This information standard is published under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. An Information Standards Notice (see below) provides an overview of scope and implementation timescales, and the requirements specification provides further detail for those who have to implement the information standard.

Update 6 March 2024: Following discussion and feedback, the RADF team have reviewed & adjusted time frames as set out below:

Phase 1: By March 31 2024, organisations will have a process in place to record reasonable adjustments.

Phase 2: By 30 June 2024, suppliers are asked to register with NHS England for connection to the national asset. Full conformance to be achieved by 31 December 2025.

Update 19 January 2024: A dedicated project mailbox has been set up for all enquiries regarding implementation of this Standard. Please contact [email protected] and include “Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag” in the subject line. The Information Standards Notice (ISN) and associated documentation have been updated to reflect this change. No other changes have been made.