Under the Equality Act 2010 public sector organisations including general practice have to make changes in their approach or provision to ensure that services are accessible to disabled people as well as everybody else. This is known as the ‘duty to make reasonable adjustments’.
There are nine protected characteristics
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation
We recognise disabilities can be visible and invisible such as physical disability requiring walking aids and invisible disabilities such as autism or other neurodivergent conditions.
Although we try to be as accommodating as possible to patient’s with a disability that qualifies under the Equality Act 2010, sometimes adjustments are not reasonable although we will work with you to put in place the best adjustments we can.
When you register with us we ask if you need any reasonable adjustments but always welcome people with new diagnoses that may qualify informing us of any adjustments required.
If you, or someone you support, has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term impact on your/their ability to do normal everyday activities, please contact the surgery and ask to discuss reasonable adjustments that may help you or them.
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What is the Reasonable Adjustments Digital Flag?
The Reasonable Adjustments Digital Flag is a national record which indicates that Reasonable Adjustments are required for an individual.
NHS England have built the Digital Flag in the NHS Spine (on the National Care Records Service) to enable health and care professionals to record, share and view details of Reasonable Adjustments across the NHS, wherever the person is seen and /or treated.
The Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag is for all people with a disability.
In September 2023, the NHS published a Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag Information Standard that sets out what all NHS and publicly funded social care organisations in England are required to do to implement the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag in their services. The Information Standard Notice says that organisations must have processes in place to be able to identify, record, flag, share, meet and review and update people’s reasonable adjustment needs on their systems.
We will ask if you are happy for us to share information about your adjustments with other organisations we are in contact with such as hospitals or community services.