Equality and Human Rights Commission

Health or social care providers have a responsibility to give you the information you need as a user of health or social care in a clear and simple way, without being patronising. Any written material you may be given should also be accessible, and available in a range of formats depending on your need (such as large print, Braille, email, CD, easy read, or in other languages if you do not speak English). Some NHS trusts offer professional interpretation services and British Sign Language interpreters.

Many doctors and health services do not offer these formats as standard, but will provide them upon request. If they do not, you may be able to bring a legal challenge.

Example

A community health clinic produces information leaflets in English about breast cancer and screening. The leaflets are distributed in an area where a substantial proportion of the population cannot read in English. The health clinic refuses to translate the leaflets into the most commonly used languages in that area, despite requests to do so. In effect, this means that patients must be able to read English if they are to use the advice contained in the leaflets. This could be unlawful discrimination on racial grounds.

The Welsh Language Act 1993 means that all organisations in the public sector providing services to the public in Wales are obliged to provide them in Welsh and English.