Our response to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report

A new report, commissioned by the Patient Safety Commissioner, identifies safety issues for patients with vision and hearing impairments who are placed are at greater risk from medicines and medical devices because their views are not taken into account.

Responding to the report, our Chief Executive Louise Ansari said:

“This report makes for troubling reading and echoes many of the issues we have raised with the NHS about the impact of inaccessible communications on people's health and involvement in their healthcare. It also highlights that the NHS is failing to meet duties that have been in place since 2016 on information accessibility for disabled people or those with sensory impairments.

"Inaccessible healthcare information leads to people missing vital appointments, being unable to discuss symptoms and treatment plans properly and needing to rely on the help of family and friends to communicate with healthcare providers.

"We're urging the Government to ensure that NHS services step up their efforts to ensure that all people get the healthcare information they need in a way they can understand.

"The impact of failing to provide information in the correct format is not just a safety issue. It's about giving every patient an equal chance to make informed decisions about their healthcare."