Rosemary Mitchell: I’m raising money so Marie Curie nurses can learn BSL

On Sunday 26th March 2017 I will be taking part in Run Garioch and attempting my first 10k.

I’m doing this to raise money for Marie Curie, a charity which provides hands on care and nursing support through all terminal illnesses.

My wonderful mum recently passed away after bravely fighting cancer. She received excellent care at home from Marie Curie staff who were a great support to us as a family at such a difficult time.

As my mum was Deafblind, the nurses relied on us to communicate fully with her. They also made a great effort to communicate with my dad, who is Deaf.

The team expressed a keen interest in learning British Sign Language (BSL) but there are currently no courses available to meet their requirements.

Deaf Action are a charity providing services to support deaf people in Scotland and are experienced in delivering a range of training courses. They have agreed to provide this bespoke BSL and Deaf Awareness course.

The money I raise will give the Marie Curie Moray team the opportunity to attend this training and feel more confident supporting deaf people. I would hope that the course is then extended to all Marie Curie staff.

I have met with Alex Salmond MP and Gillian Martin MSP to discuss issues surrounding end of life care for Deaf people. Both have been extremely supportive.

Alex Salmond has tabled questions for the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Community Health and Care, David Mowat MP.

Gillian Martin has asked the Scottish Parliament what BSL training is currently in place for NHS staff and how they support BSL users in accessing healthcare services.

I am in the process of arranging meetings with Angus Robertson MP and Richard Lochhead MSP to gain further support of my campaign. I hope to raise awareness of the need for bespoke BSL and Deaf Awareness training for staff working in palliative care.

If you would like to donate to this worthwhile cause, please see www.justgiving.com/MarieCurieMoray.

For more regular updates on my campaign please see http://fb.me/BSLforMarieCurie.