AccessAble surveys to support inclusivity across ELFT

As part of East London NHS Foundation Trust's ongoing commitment to improving accessibility and inclusion, we have commissioned AccessAble to produce detailed Access Guides for our sites.

Surveys will take place between 14 September and 9 October 2026.

The Guides will be published on the AccessAble website and made available through the Trust website. They provide detailed, factual information about access to our buildings, facilities and services, helping patients, carers, visitors and staff plan their visit with confidence.

About the guides
The Guides (see example) are intended to support service users and their families by providing consistent, objective information about the physical environment. They are not an assessment of service quality or compliance.

Instead, they describe the environment as it is, enabling people to make informed decisions about whether a location meets their individual access needs. This helps reduce uncertainty and improve access, particularly for disabled people, older people and anyone with additional access requirements.

What to expect
Surveys will take place between 14 September and 9 October 2026.

Approximately six weeks before each survey, AccessAble will contact the relevant service to arrange a suitable date and identify a local contact for the visit.
Surveyors may require brief access to both clinical and non-clinical areas to take measurements, record accessibility features and photograph aspects of the physical environment.

They may also ask staff simple factual questions about access arrangements where required.

AccessAble is the UK's leading provider of accessibility information. For over 20 years, they have worked with NHS organisations, local authorities, universities and visitor attractions to produce detailed, factual guides that help disabled people and others with access requirements plan their visit with confidence.

As part of our commitment to improving accessibility and inclusion, AccessAble is surveying our sites to produce Detailed Access Guides for our buildings and services.

These Guides will be available through the AccessAble website and linked from the ELFT website.

No. The survey should not affect appointments or services. Surveyors will work around clinical activity.

No. Surveyors will only photograph access features and the physical environment, such as entrances, reception areas, toilets, lifts or parking. They will not photograph patients, service users, visitors or staff.

Surveyors are trained to avoid taking identifiable photographs of people. If someone is unintentionally captured, the image will either not be used or, if possible, be blurred using software to make them unidentifiable.

No. Surveyors will always work with local staff and will avoid entering rooms where clinical care is taking place. Patient privacy and dignity always come first.

Sometimes. To produce accurate Access Guides, surveyors may need to measure or view patient areas when it is safe and appropriate to do so. They will always follow local arrangements and work with staff.

No. Information is primarily collected through measurements and observations. Surveyors will ask reception staff a couple of simple questions about aspects such as the number of beds, for example.

AccessAble surveyors carry an official identification badge and a letter authorised by ELFT.

Yes. Surveyors also follow ELFT's site access and health and safety procedures.

They collect factual information about accessibility, including:

Parking
Entrances
Reception areas
Doors
Corridors
Lifts
Toilets
Waiting areas
Lighting
Seating
Hearing loops
Accessible facilities

No. They are assessing physical accessibility only. They are not inspecting clinical care or staff performance.

Some particular staff areas may also be surveyed to improve accessibility information for colleagues. Patient-facing areas remain the priority.

Yes, where appropriate. Additional security arrangements will be in place, and surveyors will always be accompanied. Some areas may not be surveyed if local security arrangements do not permit access.

The aim is to minimise disruption. Surveyors will work with local teams to plan visits and avoid interrupting patient care wherever possible.

AccessAble will produce a detailed Access Guide for the site. These Guides will be published online and made available through the ELFT website.

Yes. Feedback can also be shared directly with ELFT via the EDI Team: visit our feedback form

The Guides provide factual information about accessibility. ELFT can use this information to identify opportunities to improve access over time.

The Guides allow people to plan their visit before they arrive by providing detailed information such as:

Step-free access
Parking
Toilet facilities
Lifts
Door widths
Seating
Lighting
Hearing support
Wayfinding

No. You are not expected to participate in the survey, and your care or visit will not be affected.

No. The surveys are about buildings and accessibility features, not individuals.

This varies depending on the size of the building but is usually a few hours to a full day.