Making our services accessible to everyone
At Wellbeing Suffolk we are committed to ensuring everyone can access the mental health care and support they need. We believe that everyone deserves equal access to care and support.
One way we do this is by offering reasonable adjustments to remove any barriers that might exist and make our services inclusive for people with a disability or impairment.
If there's something we can do to help you, a loved one or someone you care for, please speak to us.
On this page is some guidance about reasonable adjustments and how you can request changes to ensure your experience with Wellbeing Suffolk is as comfortable and supportive as possible.
What are reasonable adjustments?
Reasonable adjustments are changes - big or small - that help make services like ours easier to use for individuals with a disability or impairment. These adjustments ensure that our services comply with the Equality Act 2010, which requires health and care organisations to be accessible to everyone.
Examples of reasonable adjustments
Reasonable adjustments can vary depending on individual needs. Here are a few examples:
- Providing a ramp for wheelchair access
- Sending letters in Easy Read format
- Offering a quiet waiting room for those who find busy spaces overwhelming
- Providing translated documents and/or interpreters for therapy and treatment appointments
- Providing British Sign Language interpreters for treatment appointments
- Scheduling longer appointments for people who need extra time
Even simple changes can make a big difference to your experience with us. We want to listen and understand what works best for you.
How to request a reasonable adjustment
If you think a reasonable adjustment could help you access our services, please let us know. You can:
- Contact us by phone on 0300 123 1503 or email us at: wellbeing.suffolk@nsft.nhs.uk
- State that you have a disability or impairment if using the Self-referral form on our website by selecting the answer in the drop down menu that is most appropriate to you for the question:
Do you consider yourself to have a disability? - Speak to your therapist during your Assessment appointment and tell them what would be helpful to support your disability or impairment whilst receiving support from us.
Ultimately, we're here to listen and work with you to try and find solutions that meet your needs.
Top tips for requesting reasonable adjustments
Here are some helpful tips to help you request reasonable adjustments with us:
- Be clear about your needs: Explain what changes would make our support easier for you to access. Explain what you would need us to do to help you Then explain what changes would be helpful for you or tell us what might prove difficult for you.
- Ask early: Let us know as soon as possible so we can make arrangements and ensure we have time to make any adjustments that would be helpful to you and your care.
- Work together: Reasonable adjustments are tailored to you, so it's important to communicate openly and tell us everything that would be supportive for you.
- Write it down: Think about what reasonable adjustments you need, write them down and then tell us what they are. You can use the card: click here
You can find out more about asking for reasonable adjustments by visiting the Asking for reasonable adjustments page on the National Autistic Society website here
Some helpful things to consider when requesting reasonable adjustments:
- Request that your reasonable adjustments be documented, flagged, accurately recorded and that they are up to date.
- Consider providing consent for your reasonable adjustments information to be communicated with other health and care personnel. This is helpful to ensure other health and care services fully understand your needs to provide better care and support.
- If you're informed that reasonable adjustments cannot be made, inquire about the reasoning. You have the right to challenge this decision.
Our Green Light team
We endeavour to make our services accessible for all. As part of this we follow a Green Light audit that has standards to follow to ensure everybody is able to receive mainstream Mental Health Services, unless signposted elsewhere. Our dedicated team of Green Light Champions, focus on this, which includes reasonable adjustments.
Click here to meet the teamThe Green Light Champions also look at accessible information and are therefore able to offer Easy Read Information for any communication you may get from us. We are able to help staff who are working with those who experience Neurodivergence and advise where possible.
Please speak to your therapist if any of this might be of support to you. Our hope is these small changes could help make a big difference to your recovery journey and make it a positive experience.
Autism and Mental Health - Terry's story
One of our Peer Mentor's, Terry Nippress has written about his experience of autism and mental health. Below Terry explains why the booklet was produced and what can you expect.
