Deaf News: Daughter forced to interpret father’s terminal cancer diagnosis in NHS communication breakdown

A Deaf woman has shared her story after her hearing daughter had to interpret her own father’s diagnosis of terminal cancer.

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust failed to provide a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter for the man, named Ronnie, who also had Alzheimer’s disease.

The woman, referred to only as Susan in the video from Citizen’s Advice Sheffield, said the “really sad and really bad experience” about her husband happened in April last year.

“The hospital treatment, it wasn’t very good for him. There was no interpreter there and no support for his Alzheimer’s,” she said.

 

The remainder of the video sees Citizen’s Advice Sheffield share the story on Susan’s behalf, with the individual saying she was still “too emotional” to explain the situation herself.

The clip goes on to reveal that the couple went to hospital, where Ronnie had to stay for three days without any visitors.

Staff were unable to communicate with him in sign language, while the use of face masks due to the coronavirus pandemic made it impossible for Ronnie to lipread.

Kate Bushan, from the Deaf Advice team, said: “The man was just there, very frightened – couldn’t communicate at all and he couldn’t see his family.

“[It was the] same for his wife. She was just so upset and worried because she didn’t know what was happening all the time he was there.”

Bushan also explained that the pair’s hearing daughter received a phone call about an afternoon appointment for her father, of which none of them were aware.

The daughter would later go on to interpret the appointment for her father, with her mother asked to leave the room.

Bushan added: “There was no interpreter there, which meant the daughter had to interpreter for her father and actually tell him the really bad news that sorry, we can’t treat you. There’s nothing we can do for you.

“Your life expectancy is between two weeks and two months.”

Ronnie later passed away at his home, surrounded by his family.

However, Bushan says that one week after his death, a letter was received by Susan from the hospital, with doctors looking to arrange a phone call to discuss her late husband’s “ill health”.

Susan is now in contact with the Deaf Advice team at Citizen’s Advice Sheffield, who video call her regularly via WhatsApp.

Bushan continued: “We talked to her, she sends us photographs of letters that have come through, and we’re able to look at [them], get in touch with her and explain what it means.

“It’s just a little tiny step each time, helping with the funeral arrangements, which was really difficult because they weren’t allowed too many people there because of COVID-19.

“It’s just such a horrible experience for her because of COVID. COVID has made it worse, […] but even before COVID it was very difficult for deaf people to communicate.

“Deaf people struggle. They don’t get access to health information.

“Why should that man’s daughter have had to be an interpreter for him on that day and tell him straight to his face, you’re going to die soon?”

Dr David Hughes, Medical Director at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement to The Limping Chicken that the trust is “very sorry” that the appointment “may have caused additional stress at a very difficult time”.

“We do have a British Sign Language interpreter service available and processes for raising if a patient has specific communication needs so we will be undertaking a review to understand what happened in this instance.

“Based on that information we will look to make changes where necessary to limit the chances of a similar situation occurring in the future,” he said.

Dr Hughes went on to add that iPads are used to aid face-to-face communication in the hospital, with ward staff using written communication instead of speech if needed.

He acknowledged that masks “are an issue in the current times”, but said they are “looking at options” for clear masks which meet the necessary standards for infection control.

Dr Hughes continued: “The letter for a follow-up appointment was actually sent the day Ronnie passed away but our staff would not have known that, otherwise the letter would not have been sent out.

“We do acknowledge that we have more to do to support patients and relatives who have hearing impairments and it is an area of work we are actively looking at to make improvements.”

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He wears bilateral hearing aids and can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.