Why you should read this article:

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To enable you to recognise the barriers that disabled people may experience when accessing healthcare services

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To improve your awareness of the reasonable adjustments that can be made to improve disabled people’s experience of healthcare services

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To understand how to communicate with other health and social care professionals to provide effective person-centred care

Disabled people are one of the groups in society with the greatest health needs, yet they experience some of the most significant barriers to accessing healthcare services. This article describes examples of how three healthcare services have met the Equality Act 2010 duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, so that they are not disadvantaged in accessing these services. Each of these services identified disabled patients, and considered and recorded the specific reasonable adjustments that were required. In doing so, they took time to fully understand the needs of the individual from their perspective. The services collaborated and coordinated the provision of reasonably adjusted care by communicating effectively with other health and social care providers, working together as a team, and treating disabled people as individuals.