NHS Digital pilot will improve care for people with a learning disability by introducing a reasonable adjustment flag on patient records.

NHS Digital is piloting a reasonable adjustment flag on patient records, which will let doctors, nurses and other health and care staff know that a patient has a learning disability and has specific needs that require adjustments to the services provided so they get the best care.

In the trial, staff will be able to access the information through a patient’s record on the Summary Care Record application, a program designed to share key information about patients. In the longer term, it will be integrated with clinical systems so that staff will be able to see it on their own screens as soon as they search for the patient.