Disability Act 2005 - Access Officers: Contact Details
What access officers do
Access to our services is everyone’s responsibility and is about big and small things – like access to buildings, how consent is obtained, how medication is explained, how appointments are managed and assigned and how bad news is broken, whether a person is blind, deaf, has autism or any other condition. All HSE staff have a role, whether you are the person the patient meets at the reception desk, the hospital porter, the nurse, the catering staff, the cleaner, the junior doctor or the medical consultant - what you do and how you do it can not only influence a patient's experience positively but can ensure that their patient journey is safer. We also need to remember that in some instances it may not be the patient that has the disability, but their carer or family member.
Access officers will support staff to deal with these big and small things when additional support or guidance is needed.
There are gaps in the way that we provide some services, and it is fact that some of our facilities are not easily accessible to those with disabilities. Access Officers will help us systematically work to address these gaps and ensure that future services and facilities comply with national guidelines, standards and legislation, and are fully accessible to everyone.
