Telling us once - a functional model
As a starting point it's worth considering what a "Tell us Once" platform/service is there to do. This diagram shows some of the situations where I might want to share information about myself and the organisations, services and people I might share it with.
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My money and utilities
My health and wellbeing
Me at home
Me out and about
Me
Me online
Me at work
What might I need to tell them?
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It shouldn’t be necessary (and isn't even appropriate) to share details of health conditions, diagnoses or personal circumstances to have your actionable support needs met.
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The Equality Act Code of Practice states: “There is no need for a person to establish a medically diagnosed cause for their impairment. What it is important to consider is the effect of the impairment, not the cause.”
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Of course, some people may choose to share this information along with their actionable support needs, if they feel it would help organisations and services meet their needs more effectively. But this should always be a matter of personal choice rather than a requirement of the platform.
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My actionable support needs
Me
My circumstances
My health conditions and diagnoses
What happens with my information?
My diagnoses, health conditions and circumstances will influence the support I need, but it's the support needs I'm sharing.
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I need to be able to put these support needs into a Tell us Once platform or service, so they can reach any organisation or service that I need to engage with.
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Within those receiving organisations and services are people carrying out a number of functions, each of whom has a specific role in enabling my support needs to be met:
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The information recorder/encoder, who captures my information in the format the organisation needs.
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The system administrator, who designs and maintains systems which can capture and update people's actionable support needs.
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The data controller, who ensures my data is held securely and is only used for its intended purpose.
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Customer services staff, in a contact centre or elsewhere, who draw on my information to communicate with me clearly.
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Frontline staff - the people I come into contact with when I engage with the organisation - who draw on my information to ensure that my experience is as good as any other customer's, in keeping with the Equality Act's provision for reasonable adjustments.
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​And behind the scenes, a service lead, who designs and manages inclusive services which meet everyone's accessibility needs.
