Our overall rating: Amber, making progress

Our policy and systems are in place. We now need to collect more evidence that they work well for everyone, and we have a plan to do that by March 2027.

Doing well

Green. We can show that people’s needs are recorded and met.

Making progress

Amber. Systems are in place but we are still finishing work or collecting evidence.

Not yet in place

Red. The systems or training are not yet in place.

Our results for each question

1. 1

   Finding out about your needs

   Doing well

   We ask every patient and carer about communication needs when they register, at health checks and reviews, and after a new diagnosis such as sight or hearing loss.

2. 2

   Electronic records

   Doing well

   We do not rely on paper records. Needs are recorded and shared in our clinical computer system.

3. 3

   Recording your needs and booking appointments

   Doing well

   Your needs are recorded using national codes, and an alert shows staff every time they open your record or book you in. You can choose to be contacted by text, email, online, Relay UK or BSL video relay. Patients rate booking with us well (see what patients told us below).

4. 4

   Our computer system

   Making progress

   Our system records, flags and shares your needs when you are referred or move practice.

   Next: check whether letters can be produced in large print or other formats automatically.

5. 5

   Giving you information and support you can use

   Making progress

   We provide large print, braille, audio, easy read, email and text, and book qualified BSL and deafblind interpreters. We have hearing loops at reception and in consulting rooms.

   Next: arrange qualified lipspeakers and speech-to-text reporters, and keep a count of how often we provide each kind of support.

6. 6

   Keeping your needs up to date

   Doing well

   We check your needs when we update your details, at reviews and health checks, and in a yearly check of our records.

7. 7

   Staff training

   Making progress

   All staff complete national Accessible Information Standard training when they join and every 3 years, and are shown how to record and meet needs.

   Next: brief all staff on our new policy and confirm everyone’s training is up to date.

8. 8

   Letting you know you can ask

   Making progress

   We have a policy on accessible communication.

   Next: put up posters in the practice and add this information to our website, checked by our Patient Participation Group.

9. 9

   Making a complaint in a way that suits you

   Doing well

   You can complain in person, by phone, Relay UK, text, email, BSL video or with an advocate. Our complaints leaflet is available in easy read, large print and other formats.

10. 10

    Learning from complaints about communication

    Making progress

    We review complaints and incidents about communication needs at practice meetings.

    Next: label these complaints separately so we can count them each year.

11. 11

    Using what we know to plan services

    Making progress

    We search our records to find patients who may have a communication need we have not yet recorded.

    Next: use this information to plan interpreters, training and resources.

12. 12

    A named lead

    Doing well

    Our Business Manager is our Accessible Information lead, and a GP partner is responsible overall.

13. 13

    Publishing our results

    Making progress

    This page is our first publication. We will update it every year.

    Next: make easy read and large print versions available.

14. 14

    Our improvement plan

    Making progress

    We have written a plan with dates, set out below.

What patients told us

From the national GP Patient Survey 2026. 493 of our patients were sent the survey and 112 replied.

Our improvement plan

What we will do to move each Amber area to Green.

Tell us how we are doing

If we have not met your communication needs, or you have ideas to help us improve, please tell any member of staff, phone 01709 375500, or email stannsreception.c87005@nhs.net. You can bring an advocate or supporter. You can also join our Patient Participation Group to help check our work.