Making your services more accessible

Often simple things can help deafblind people access services more easily.

This simple audit sheet will allow you to look at your surgery and decide if there are any adaptations you could make. Many of these are simple and carry little or no cost.

Surgery environment

• Are all areas well lit? No dark corners or big changes in light level between corridors and rooms?
• Colour contrast. How easy would it be for someone with
  limited vision to move around? Could they find doorways,
  banister rails, etc? Look for:
  • Colour contrast between banister rails and walls
  • Colour contrast between door frames and walls
  • Labels on doors - are they large letters on colour contrasted background?
• Are floors and walkways kept clear of obstructions?
• Does background music or radio make it hard for hard of hearing patients to hear their name called?
• Is there a loop system in reception?
• Do staff know how to use the loop and is it maintained regularly?
• Is there a loop system in any other room for consultations?
• Is there a glass screen between patients and reception staff?
• If so, could reception staff come out from behind it if it made lip-reading difficult?

Staff

• Do all staff know how to use clear speech?
• Do staff know how to guide a patient who needs guiding?
• Is there a system for booking longer appointments for people whose communication is slow?
• Do reception staff make sure patients have heard when their name is called?
• Do reception staff know how to use a text phone/receive a typetalk call?

Information

• Do you record communication and information needs of patients?
• Would you be able to provide information in large print,
• Braille or audio for patients who need it?
  

To order a booklet for more information about making your surgery accessible ‘Serving Your Deafblind Customers'.