High-level goals and benefits of the Reasonable Adjustments programme

Reasonable Adjustments

Programme Mission

NHS England and NHS Digital, in partnership with patient and carer groups and other key stakeholders are working to develop a national reasonable adjustment flag which will be available to organisations providing direct care to the patient. The flag will be visible from when the patient is referred, registers for care or presents in an emergency, as well as to screening services. It can indicate the patient’s key impairments (as defined in the Equality Act 2010) such as learning disability, autism, physical or sensory disability or conditions such as dementia to make receiving organisations understand that the patient should be considered for adjustments to care. The flag can also indicate key potential reasonable adjustments such as the need for accessible information (SCCI1605), details of carer involvement, lasting power of attorney or other adjustments to care. See Appendix A below for an example of the reasonable adjustment flag.

Key benefits:

  • The flag will be immediately visible when the patient is referred or presents for care, often when no other information is available.
  • The flag will ensure that key information (such as communication requirements) are shared consistently across the NHS – with patient consent.
  • Specialist teams will be able to set the flag – driving up the number of patients on registers who are identified for and benefit from adjustments.
  • Screening services will adapt services to ensure patients receive screening
  • Carers will feel more supported
  • Improvement in the quality and number of adjustments provided across the NHS – satisfying legal obligations under the Equality Act and NHS contracts.

The capability is being developed in the NHS spine during 2018 for piloting in the Summary Care record Application (SCRa) in early 2019. In the longer term, the capability can be integrated into all clinical systems connected to the NHS spine.