Tailor patient information to individual needs, circumstances, and wishes

The Index has not yet recorded a verbatim government response to this recommendation.

Having the information to share with patients and carers / parents is an important part of the care process and is available through various means, as set out in our responses to Recommendations 1 (patient-centred care), 2 (shared decision-making) and 4 (patient information).

Additionally:

• Since 1 August 2016, all organisations that provide NHS care and/or publicly funded adult social care have been legally required to follow the Accessible Information Standard, in accordance with section 250(6) of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. The Accessible Information Standard sets out a consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing and meeting the information and communication support needs of patients, service users, carers and parents with a disability, impairment or sensory loss.
• The GMC’s guidance on decision making and consent, as referenced in our response to Recommendation 1, asks doctors to consider using visual or other explanatory aids to support patients to understand their personalised risk, taking account of their individual clinical and personal circumstances, compared with population level risk. • NHS England has worked with the Patient Information Forum to develop a new standard for creating digital health content (2022). This is based on the principle that good content can save lives, and when content is clear, accurate, evidence-based, up to date and easy to use, it helps people self-care or know when and where to get the help and care they need.

• NICE produced guidance focusing on patient experience which includes guidance around communication with patients.

The Government agreed with this recommendation.

In its January 2002 response, the Department of Health said that from April 2003 information would be made available through a new National Knowledge Service in a number of languages aimed at different levels of understanding.