Introduction

1.2    The AIS is mandatory for all providers across the NHS and publicly funded adult social care services. This includes care homes, nursing homes and day care as well as providers of adult social care from the voluntary and community or private sectors. 

1.3    AIS requirements are intended to ensure that people who need to have information in a particular format and/or support to communicate because of a disability or sensory loss receive: 

• information in a form that they can access and understand,  and  
  
  
• any support that they need to communicate with adult social care/NHS staff 

1.4    The AIS is of particular relevance to people who: 

• are blind or have some visual loss
  
  
• are deaf or Deaf, have some hearing loss, or are  deafblind
  
  
• have a learning disability
  
  
• have aphasia
  
  
• have autism 
  
  
• have a mental health condition which affects their ability to communicate

1.5    There are five mandatory AIS requirements for meeting the information and/or communication needs of people with a disability or sensory loss: 

• to identify needs  
  
  
• to record needs  
  
  
• to flag needs so that they are highly visible within the record 
  
  
• to share information about needs  
  
  
• to take steps to meet needs