Clause 3
Health Bill [Lords]
4:45 pm
Sandra Gidley (Romsey, Liberal Democrat)
These are a couple of simple amendments to try to further the debate on Second Reading about the availability of the constitution for those who may have some sort of disability. I am particularly mindful of people with a visual impairment. I perhaps should declare some sort of interest here. My husband is registered blind, so I am acutely aware of some of the difficulties faced by people in trying to access information. The Minister could argue that the issue is covered by equality legislation anyway and that existing legislation should ensure that the information is made available. However, the facts do not bear that out.
Research undertaken by the Royal National Institute of Blind People shows that a large percentage of patients did not receive information in an appropriate format. In many cases, that information might have been available with a little thought, but nobody thought to provide something usable. The statistics are stark. The group that came out best was community pharmacists—I probably ought to declare another interest—although information about prescriptions came out worst, so the picture is slightly mixed. In urgent care, perhaps nobody minds too much if the information is not readily available in an accessible format.
Given the interest in health and the drive towards self-care, on which the Government seem keen, it is more important than ever that information is available. If we start with the constitution by including access to information in accessible formats in the Bill, it will help to drive improvements in all other areas of the health service. The Minister could also argue that the Equality Bill, which is going through Parliament at the moment, might be a more appropriate place for such provisions, but people who work in the health service take far more notice of legislation in a health Bill. Given the failure to put existing legislation into practice, that is another reason for putting the measures in this Bill. In a letter to Lord Low, the Solicitor-General said:
“We are not persuaded of the case for making specific reference to the provision of information in alternative formats on the face of the legislation”
—a reference to the Equality Bill.
The amendment is a simple amendment that should not need to be included in the Bill, but the evidence is overwhelming that we must do something, as the provision for an increasing group of people is inadequate. Given our ageing population, many of whom have eyesight problems, such an amendment is even more important.