GPS in Wales will be required to record information on people with hearing or sight loss to ensure they are given access to the right sort of information under new regulations.

The new rules introduced by the Welsh Government come into force this month and will require GP surgeries to record the specific needs of patients with sensory loss. This data will be automatically sent with the patient's records when they are referred to hospital or another service so they are prepared to provide large print letters or other more appropriate forms of information.

Previously very little information of this kind has been recorded by GPs or hospitals.

There are currently more than 600,000 people with hearing or sight loss, or a combination of both, in Wales, with 70 per cent of those 70 and older affected.

But a survey carried out in 2014 showed only one in five had been asked by NHS staff about their communication needs.

Announcing the new regulations Wales' health secretary Vaughan Gething said: "Health inequality is an issue I’m committed to addressing here in Wales, by putting the needs of service users at the heart of how we deliver key public services, including health.

“People with sensory loss are more likely to experience major health conditions, as well as higher levels of mental ill health, therefore they need to be able to access all areas of healthcare, not just ophthalmology and audiology services."

The new regulations have been announced as part of the annual It Makes Sense campaign, which aims to raise awareness of issues faced by people with hearing and sight loss.