Introduction

The Kingsnorth Medical Practice policy provides the basis for the Practice in assessing the needs of its disabled patients, or those with mobility or other requirements to ensure their access to services is, as far as practicable, maximised.

Access to the Practice

Disabled spaces are located in the Staff and Disabled car park and are clearly marked.

There is good disabled access at the Practice with a clear pathway to the main entrance. No ramps are required and drop pavements are in place for easy wheelchair access. We also have a press button function to operate an automatic door opening facility, which is at wheelchair height.

A wheelchair is usually available in the front entrance for patients to use to access the Practice.

The Reception desk has a lower level section, which is at the appropriate height for wheelchair users, and is located to the left of the main Reception desk.

Disabled patients are able to telephone the Practice from outside on arrival if they require any assistance in accessing the building or its services. Staff are given guidance in the appropriate way to help with wheelchairs, partially or non-sighted patients, or those with other special needs.

Clinical staff will assist patients attending for an appointment including collecting them from the waiting area and escorting them to their consultation as appropriate. 

Home Visits

Patients can telephone reception if they require a home visit. A Doctor or Nurse will phone the patient back to assess their needs.

House visits are only available for patients who are housebound because of illness or disability. Each visit request will be assessed on a case by case basis and patients may be asked to use public transport or seek assistance of friends and family to get into the surgery where appropriate. There are better facilities for examining and treating patients at the Practice.

Website

The Practice website contains a section for those patients with a disability outlining the facilities available at the Practice and their ease of access to the building. We want as many people as possible to use our website and the Accessibility Statement provides further details to patients. The website also provides a link to ‘Ability Net’ providing information to the user on how to make their device easier to use if they have a disability and where possible contains a “text only” version of the information presented to aid access by the partially sighted.

Patient Leaflets

Since the start of the COVID pandemic, leaflets are no longer available in the Practice. Different media is used to provide information and the Practice will accommodate individual patient needs as requested. 

Accessible Information Standard (NHS England)

Conforming to the Accessible Information Standard, part of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, is a requirement for Practices in England.  It has been put in place to ensure people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss are able to access and understand any information or communication support they need. The Practice works to ensure that patients and service users, and their carers and parents, can access and understand the information they are given. This includes making sure that people get information in different formats if they need it, for example in large print, braille or easy to read. The Practice will also make sure that people get any support with communication that they need, for example support from a British Sign Language (BSL), interpreter, deafblind manual interpreter or an advocate.

The Practice will: 

• Ask people if they have any information or communication needs, and find out how to meet their needs.
• Record those needs clearly and in a set way.
• Highlight or flag the person’s file or notes so it is clear that they have information or communication needs, and how to meet those needs.
• Share information about people’s communication needs with other providers of NHS and adult social care, when they have consent or permission to do so.
• Take steps to ensure that people receive information that they can access and understand, and receive communication support if they need it.

 For further details see Communication Standards (Inc. Accessible Information Standard) ^[*]

Patient Facilities

The Practice will: 

• Provide large font Practice leaflets.
• Promote the Induction Loop system and provide staff training. Loop signs are clearly displayed in Reception and patients will be asked to indicate if they wish to use this facility.
• Loop refresher training will take place at least annually and within 1 month of new recruit induction.
• Ensure signage is clear and non-obstructive.
• Provide a clearly marked and wider disabled parking bay(s).
• Allow guide or other assistance dogs into the premises.
• Offer private room facilities for patients who may have communication, reading, or writing difficulties.
• Provide a spoken CD version of the Practice leaflet.
• Provide a spoken CD version of its website information.
• Allow disabled patients to make appointments by unusual methods, e.g. text messages, on line booking, or letter. The Practice will respond to these requests using the method most appropriate to the needs of the patient.

Guide Dogs | Assistance Dogs | Hearing Dogs

Introduction

The nature of General Practice is such that guide dog / hearing dog (“assistance” dog) access is common and desirable. The purpose of this policy is to set out a few simple principles for dogs on the premises;

• The Practice welcomes assistance dogs. This includes dogs in training where a “walker” is in control of the dog rather than a disabled owner.
• The Practice will manage the presence of assistance dogs without recourse to the owner and will pay particular attention to infection control and housekeeping whilst dogs are on the premises.
• Physical contact with a dog by clinical staff will be resisted during consultations or examinations, and whilst a general surgery is in progress.
• Hand washing or alcohol hand gel will be used by staff after any physical contact with a dog, whether during a consultation or not.
• Care will be taken by clinical staff to identify other patients in the surgery list for that session who have been identified as potentially being adverse clinically to the presence of dogs. This will include patients who:
• are allergic to dogs
• are immunosuppressed
• are phobic to dogs
• have another medical reason

Consideration will be given to allowing them to wait, or be seen, in an alternative room.

• Cleaning staff will be advised to pay particular attention to a room known to have accommodated a dog that day.
• In the event of an incident involving a dog, a significant event record will be created where necessary.
• If requested, owners of assistance dogs will be given the opportunity to “tour” the Practice and the grounds with their assistance dog. This will enable the dog to become familiar with routes throughout the building, including those routes seldom used. This will include routes to and from:
• Public / disabled toilets
• Through fire exits and on to assembly areas
• To usual GP and nurse rooms
• Accessing and exiting the building by normal routes 

As part of the high level of training an assistance dog receives, there are unlikely to be any incidents giving rise to special concern, and the following aspects of these dogs on the premises are likely to be standard behaviour for these animals:

• Dog will remain on a lead and in close contact with the owner
• The dog will usually lie quietly with the owner when waiting to see a clinician and is trained to behave well in public places
• Dog is unlikely to foul any area not within its usual habit and is trained to go to toilet on command, and will be well-groomed (minimal loose hair)
• The dog will be in good health, physically fit, with vaccinations and care programme up to date
• The dog will wear a special identifying harness and collar tag

Training and Skills

All staff undertake Equality, Diversity and Human Rights training within the first two months of starting at the Practice. The training is part of the statutory training undertaken by all staff once every three years.

Patient Feedback

We have a patient questionnaire available in the Reception waiting area and encourage feedback from all service users. In particular, we are interested to learn about ways we can help our disabled patients’ access our services. We ask our service users for their ideas or suggestions for improvements. The feedback is discussed in our Patient Participation Group meetings which are held each quarter.

Audit

The Practice will audit its facilities on an annual basis or when significant changes are made to the premises.