Discrimination act deadline approaches
Community pharmacists must make their premises accessible to disabled customers or face potentially expensive legal claims, the Pharmacy Mutual Insurance company has warned.
From 1 October, service providers are required by the Disability Discrimination
Act 1995 to make reasonable adjustments to any physical barriers that
might stop disabled people making use of their services. Examples of
the type of change that might be required include installing ramps or
handrails where there are steps leading to a building entrance and replacing
door handles with ones that are easier to grip.
Malcolm Jack, general manager of PMI, said: “Pharmacists, as service
providers, must
adhere to these requirements and start planning any required adjustments
now.”
In most cases, the adjustments that need to be made are minimal and will
not incur a great cost. In a pharmacy, for example, it will be important
to ensure that the aisles between shelving units are wide enough to accommodate
wheelchair users.
The Department for Work and Pensions
will reward best practice in accessibility
in the second annual “Access
all areas awards” in November. Smaller businesses that provide goods
and services to the public and have taken imaginative steps to open up their
services for disabled people can enter the awards scheme until 30 September.
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