We are committed to making sure that all patients can access the care and support they need
Reasonable Adjustments
Reasonable adjustments are small changes that can make a big difference for people who require support when they attend hospital or any other health appointments.
Under the Equality Act 2010, health services are legally required to make reasonable adjustments. These are changes that help make our services more accessible for people with a disability or impairment.
This may include people with a physical or sensory disability, a learning disability, autism, or a long-term condition such as dementia. This is not a full list - other people may also need support. For example, someone with a changing condition or a person waiting for a diagnosis may still require reasonable adjustments to help them access care.
These adjustments are about more than just meeting legal requirements they are about listening to people, understanding what matters to them, and providing care that fits. Often, these adjustments are small, but they can make a big difference. Reasonable adjustments can also be quite complicated to arrange and sometimes need lots of planning across health and care teams for people who have complex need.
Examples of Reasonable Adjustments we can offer
- Offering the first or last appointment of the day, to make visits easier to manage
- Allowing longer appointment times if you need more time to talk with your doctor or nurse
- Using pictures, symbols, or other visual tools to support communication
- Providing letters and information in accessible formats, such as Easy Read, large print, or Braille
- Arranging a quiet waiting area where possible
- Offering flexible visiting arrangements, if appropriate
- Using our interpreter and translation services to help with communication
- Providing walking aids
- Referring to a person’s hospital or health and care passport for key information
Why might you need a reasonable adjustment
Everyone experiences healthcare differently. If something makes it harder for you to access or receive care, you can ask for a reasonable adjustment. A change that helps make things easier, safer, or more comfortable for you.
You might need a reasonable adjustment if you experience challenges related to:
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Vision: Includes blindness, partial sight, reduced visual clarity, limited peripheral vision, light sensitivity, or difficulty with contrast.
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Hearing: Ranges from mild hearing loss to complete deafness. May affect your ability to hear alarms, follow speech, or involve sensitivity to certain sounds or tones.
- Mobility: Includes difficulty walking, climbing stairs, or coordination (e.g. dyspraxia), as well as sensory or cognitive issues that affect movement.
- Dexterity: Challenges with lifting, carrying, fine motor skills, hand coordination, or grip strength.
- Learning, Understanding, or Concentrating: May involve difficulties processing information, following instructions, focusing, filtering distractions, or organising tasks.
- Communication, Reading, or Writing: Includes difficulties with understanding or using language, expressing thoughts verbally or non-verbally, or reading and writing fluently.
- Memory: Challenges with remembering instructions, appointments, or routines; retaining verbal information; or managing multi-step tasks.
- Mental Health: Conditions such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, or OCD. These may be short-term, long-term, or vary over time.
- Stamina, Breathing, or Fatigue: Difficulty with physically or mentally demanding tasks, often needing breaks. May relate to chronic illness, respiratory or heart conditions, or neurodivergence.
- Social or Behavioural Needs: Includes autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, or trauma-related challenges. May affect understanding of social cues like facial expressions or tone of voice.
If any of these apply to you or someone you care for please let us know.
Let us know what you need, so we can support you better
It is really important to speak to your health and care professionals and tell them about any reasonable adjustments you or your loved one need.
If you would like more information about any support you require, please contact the department you are attending or let any of the following people know:
- someone from the appointments team when you are booking an appointment with us
- a member of staff when you arrive in a clinic or the Emergency Department
- the receptionist or nursing staff when you visit the hospital
Download and fill in our Reasonable Adjustment Form
We are here to support you. We will document your needs and adjustments in your patient record to make sure you have support during future visits.
In most cases we try to make the reasonable adjustment(s) that you ask for.
In some cases we may need to consider in more detail how best to overcome the difficulty that you are experiencing.
If we cannot provide the adjustment you have asked for we will explain the reasons why. Where it is possible, we will offer an alternative.
Why should we record them
Understanding what matters to you, your needs, preferences, and anything that helps us tailor your care is essential. When we record this information, it helps us provide care that’s more supportive, reduces stress, and ensures a better experience for both you and the people looking after you.
Pilots currently live in Breast Screening and Ophthalmology
In December 2025, A Reasonable Adjustment Working Group was set up to look at how WWL can identify patients who need reasonable adjustments; how we record and action these requests using existing systems; and how we can raise staff awareness. Although IT continues to be a challenge, WWL acknowledges that IT limitations can not be used as reason for not asking patients about their needs.
From 30th March 2026, Pilots in Ophthalmology and Breast Screening commenced – Identifying, recording and actioning patient’s reasonable adjustments. Best practice will then be rolled out to other services within the Trust.
Tell us what you think?
Do you have a disability, impairment or sensory loss? Do you need any support / reasonable adjustments making? If so, were you asked about these? If so, were your needs met? Please give us your feeback
Complete our online Feedback Form
Email: EDI@WWL.nhs.uk
Accessible information Standard
The Accessible Information Standard is a law to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss are given information they can easily read or understand. It is about making information easier to understand for people living with communication and information needs.
Everyone needs accessible information however significant numbers of people with a disability find it difficult to read the ‘average’ information available from most service providers. We have a social responsibility to ensure that people who use our services have access to information in formats that are appropriate to their needs.
For more information on the standard can be accessed via the NHS England Website: NHS England » Accessible information standard
Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag Standard
Under the Equality Act 2010, organisations have a legal duty to make changes in their approach or provision, called reasonable adjustments, to ensure that services are as accessible to people with disabilities as they are for everyone else. This duty aims to address the recognition that people with disabilities may have equal access to care and services, but without specific adjustments being made, that access may not be equitable.
NHS England has built the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag in the NHS Spine to enable health and care professionals to record, share and view details of Reasonable Adjustments across the NHS, wherever the person is treated. The flag indicates that Reasonable Adjustments are required for an individual and optionally includes details of their significant impairments, underlying conditions and key adjustments that should be considered.
For more information on the standard can be accessed via the NHS England Website: Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag - NHS Standards Directory