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Accessible Information

Care only works if people can understand what is being said to them, and can tell us what they need. This policy explains how Mission Healthcare identifies and meets the information and communication needs of the people we support, their families and their carers.

Last reviewed: September 2026. Next review: September 2027. This page, and any of our documents, can be provided in large print, easy read, braille, audio or another format on request.

The Accessible Information Standard

We follow the Accessible Information Standard (DCB1605), which applies to organisations providing NHS or publicly funded adult social care. It requires us to take five steps for anyone with a disability, impairment or sensory loss:

  • Ask. We ask about communication and information needs when we first meet you, as part of your assessment.
  • Record. We write those needs down clearly in your records, in a standard way.
  • Flag. We make them highly visible in your care plan, so every carer who visits you knows about them.
  • Share. With your consent, we pass them on to other services involved in your care, such as your GP or the hospital.
  • Meet. We act on them — giving you information in a format you can understand and providing communication support where you need it.

We also work within the Equality Act 2010, which requires us to make reasonable adjustments, and the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

What we can provide

  • large print, in the size that suits you
  • easy read versions using simple words and pictures
  • braille, audio recordings or documents emailed so they can be read by a screen reader or read aloud
  • a British Sign Language interpreter, or a language interpreter, arranged for visits and meetings
  • support from an advocate, family member or friend of your choosing
  • extra time, a quiet setting, and information broken into smaller parts
  • written confirmation of anything explained verbally, so you can read it again later

We will never charge you for any of this, and you never have to justify the request.

How our carers communicate

Our carers are trained to speak clearly and at a comfortable pace, to face the person they are speaking to so that lip reading is possible, to check understanding rather than assume it, and to be patient with people who need longer to process or to reply. Where someone communicates without speech — through signs, pictures, objects, gestures or behaviour — we learn how they communicate from them and from the people who know them best, and we record it so that every carer responds in the same way.

We also take account of hearing aids, glasses, loop systems and communication aids, and we check they are being used and are working. If a person’s needs change, we update their care plan.

Telling us what you need

Please tell us at any time — at your assessment, during a visit, or by contacting the office on +44 7470 367 720 or admin@missionhealthcare.co.uk. We will record what you tell us and make sure it reaches the carers who visit you. If you would prefer us to contact you in a particular way, for example by text rather than phone, or by email so you can use a screen reader, just say so.

This website

We want this website to be usable by as many people as possible. Pages are written in plain English, are designed to work on phones and tablets, and can be enlarged in your browser or read aloud by a screen reader. We know there is more to do: some images still need descriptions, and some buttons could be clearer for screen reader users. We are working through these. If you have difficulty using any part of this site, or you need something from it in another format, contact us on +44 7470 367 720 or admin@missionhealthcare.co.uk and we will send it to you in a way that works for you.

Training and review

Communication and accessible information are covered in induction and in ongoing training, and form part of supervision and spot checks. This policy is reviewed every year, and sooner if national guidance changes.

If we get it wrong

If we have not met your communication needs, please tell us so we can put it right — see our Concerns and Complaints policy. We will also record what went wrong so it does not happen again.