Charlie Swinbourne: Concerns raised by sale of Action on Hearing Loss’s care and support services

The news that Action on Hearing Loss is to sell its entire care and support services, including 23 care homes, which the charity has run for nearly 90 years, has led to questions within the Deaf community about the provision of care for D/deaf people currently receiving the services, and the future focus of the charity.

When the charity’s new Chief Executive, Mark Atkinson, started his job a year ago, concerns were immediately raised that the care and support services might be sold, because in his previous job at Scope, the charity sold its residential homes and specialist schools. At the time, the charity said there were no plans to sell the services, only for the decision to be made 12 months later.

The question many D/deaf people are asking is: if the country’s biggest deaf charity isn’t the best organisation to run these services, then who is?

Another question is: how well will these services for D/deaf people be run by the future providers?

Specialist care is a critical issue for deaf people, because in mainstream care settings, there’s a big risk that they will be left isolated alongside people they can’t talk to, in the hands of staff who are not fully aware of how to communicate with them.

Lack of appropriate care can lead to issues such as isolation and depression, and can also put D/deaf people at risk when they are unable to access information about their own medical conditions or medication – or, for that matter, tell staff about problems they are having.

Just how bad things can get in mainstream care settings was illustrated by deaf pensioner John Skinner’s video about the isolation – which he described as like being in prison – in a home where no-one could communicate with him. There is also an excellent documentary about the issue of elderly care for deaf people called Who Cares? which can be seen on the BSL Zone site.

The care and support services Action on Hearing Loss run don’t just look after D/deaf people, they also employ a lot of D/deaf people around the country, and as such, it could be argued that they represent the charity’s main engagement with culturally Deaf people (note the use of the big D, meaning sign language users who consider themselves part of the Deaf community). Many Deaf people (including me) know someone who has worked or been cared for in an Action on Hearing Loss home.

With these concerns in mind, I asked the charity a range of questions about why the sale of these services has come about and what kind of safeguards are in place. Below is a summary of their replies.

Why did the charity say there were no plans to sell the homes and services 12 months ago?

The charity say: “There were no plans to transfer services when we said there were no plans to transfer the services, the Board of Trustees took the decision after the statement was made.”

Reasons for the sale

The charity say that they “believe a different provider can provide the same excellent and culturally appropriate service we do – but also offer more investment.”

The move seems to show a shift away from directly providing services to mainly focusing on research into deafness, awareness campaigns and providing information.

The charity say they have recently reviewed their strategy and believe that focusing on fewer activities will give it “wider reach and impact for people affected by deafness, hearing loss and tinnitus. We can grow our information and support services, influencing work and investment in biomedical research.”

Lack of consultation before sale was revealed

I asked why the charity did not consult service users and their families and supporters before the decision to sell the services (as reported by Disability News Service).

The charity’s explanation was that they wanted to find out if there was interest in taking on the services before sharing their plans with those affected by this change.

Will any of the homes or services close?

The charity say they’re currently in discussions with a potential provider of the services. While the charity say that they have “strict criteria” in place for the new provider, and that there’s no plans to close any services, they also admit that this isn’t a condition of any sale.

So, while it’s hoped that this won’t happen, there’s no guarantee that none of the homes or services will close.

Will any D/deaf people be left without care?

The charity says that “nobody will be left without care as a result of the transfer of our services.” They add “It is our priority to ensure that everyone we support has continuity of care.”

It’s worth noting that this refers to the actual transition of the services from the charity to the new provider. After that, it will be the responsibility of the new provider to maintain the care of D/deaf people using the services.

What will happen to the money raised by the sale of these services?

The charity says: “The money we receive from the transfer of our services will be used to pay off existing debt and invest in our future activities.”

I asked about whether some of the money raised might be spent on supporting the type of people who receive care and support – including culturally Deaf people.

The charity replied: “We remain committed to support culturally Deaf people, alongside those affected by deafness, hearing loss and tinnitus through everything we do, from our information and support services to our campaigns and biomedical research. And we are currently talking to culturally Deaf people about what we do in the future and how we can best make a difference / support them to lead the lives they choose.”

What kind of criteria will the new provider have to meet?

The charity say that the “Board of Trustees have set a range of strict criteria which the new provider must meet as part of the transfer process. The criteria is explicit that any potential provider must be able to commit to investing in the services.”

The criteria the charity gave is listed below:

• A clear commitment to continuity of care for the people we support and their families.
• An ability to support people who have are Deaf, deafblind and have complex needs and provision of a culturally appropriate service.
• A track record of operating similar services to a good regulatory standard.
• A commitment to investment in the services including the buildings.
• A commitment to retain or redeploy the staff directly involved in the delivery of the services.
• A financial capability to allow the charity to transfer assets in accordance with the expectations of the Charity Commission.

Charlie Swinbourne is the editor of Limping Chicken, and as well as being a  journalist, is also an RTS award-winning screenwriter.