14/01/10

Pioneering access survey gets underway across Suffolk

A ground-breaking project to gather information about disabled access to some 500 premises providing healthcare in Suffolk is now underway.

The project – the first of its kind in the UK – is the result of £88,000 investment from NHS Suffolk in the first year. The DisabledGo project is being delivered by the Suffolk Mental Health Partnership Trust, Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, West Suffolk Hospital and Suffolk Community Healthcare. It is this joined-up approach with coverage across all types of healthcare which will make the Suffolk guide the first of its kind.

The information gathered through its detailed survey will result in useful, in-depth information about access to healthcare premises for people with disabilities wanting to use them, including:

• doctors’ surgeries
• opticians
• pharmacies
• dental practices
• community hospitals
• mental health services’ premises
• Ipswich and West Suffolk hospitals
• Suffolk Community Healthcare buildings
• Out-of-hours healthcare bases

The results will form a user-friendly online guide to be published in Spring 2010 – at www.disabledgo.com – providing people with information on facilities such as disabled parking, toilets, ramps and lifts. Also details on the availability, for example, of information in other formats, such as larger print and Braille, and other elements such as the number of steps up to the doorway, and the level of colour contrast between flooring and wall covering for visually impaired people. This will enable patients with disabilities, and their carers, to make informed choices about the healthcare services they use.

NHS Suffolk’s community engagement team has been working with a ‘user group’ that has provided valuable feedback on what the survey needs to include – and to test the guide as it develops. The guide is expected to be launched in spring 2010.

Carole Taylor-Brown, chief executive of NHS Suffolk said: “The NHS should be accessible to all – and this initiative is vital to making that a reality. Not knowing if your doctors’ surgery or local optician is easy to get to or whether the doors are wide enough, even, is an extra barrier for people with disabilities to overcome. Knowing these simple details before you arrive for an appointment makes all the difference in how you access healthcare.”

Dr Gregory Burke, chief executive of DisabledGo, said: “We welcome the start of the survey, and we are extremely pleased that NHS Suffolk is the first primary care trust in the country to take up this fully ‘joined-up’ approach across all NHS premises in its area. It’s a fantastic move forward in this important area of work.”

Linda Hoggarth, chairman of Optua, a leading Suffolk disability charity, said: “Optua welcomes NHS Suffolk's initiative in commissioning this work, which we see as a positive development to assist disabled people. Our members have told us how difficult it can sometimes be to access local healthcare premises – such as dentists, opticians and GP surgeries. This survey is a major step forward in providing up-to-date, accurate and highly useful information.”

Wil Gibson, chief executive of Suffolk ACRE (Action for Communities in Rural England), said: “We welcome this initiative by NHS Suffolk, alongside the drive by Suffolk ACRE to have all community buildings compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act. It will mean a much better environment all-round for people with disabilities.”