Almost 90% of deaf healthcare professionals did not have access to clear masks, survey finds

More than four-fifths (87%) of deaf healthcare practitioners (HCPs) have not been able to access transparent masks for use in the workplace, according to a new study published on Tuesday.

The finding from the survey of 83 deaf HCPs, conducted by medical professionals Dr Fizz Izagaren, Helen Grote and Emily Jackson, comes despite the UK Government announcing in September that it had delivered 250,000 clear masks to frontline NHS and social care workers.

At the time, care minister Helen Whately said: “The introduction of clear face masks will help overcome some of the difficulties carers wearing PPE are facing [while] communicating with people who rely on lip-reading.

“If this proves a success I look forward to increasing the supply to make sure whenever a clear mask is needed, there is one available.”

In response to a report from the Women and Equalities Select Committee, the Government said its pilot of the 250,000 ClearMasks from the US “demonstrated that transparent masks were valued and proved a need for them”.

“Building on this pilot, soft market engagement is being undertaken and there will be an assessment of a broader scope of products from a range of manufacturers to inform future procurement.

“This assessment will test different types of transparent masks that are currently at prototype stage, against a new technical specification being developed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA),” the Government’s response reads.

🚨'The experience of D/deaf healthcare professionals during the coronavirus pandemic'🚨

This paper w/ @DocFizzabella & Emily Jackson has now been published by Occupational Medicine Journal.

Full paper can be found on the journal website page:https://t.co/D7BpbCN2er pic.twitter.com/EusGu3aluW

— Helen Grote (@helengrote) April 27, 2021

This testing will involve assessing the “need and appropriateness of different masks” for various users and settings, with different masks potentially needed for an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and speech and language therapists (SLTs).

The Government concluded by saying that any future procurement of clear masks “will be informed by this work”.

However, the study has revealed that only 24 respondents said their workplace had received a supply of ClearMasks through the NHS supply chain. Out of these cases, 20 saw use of the masks ruled out by infection control teams, with only one instance of a HCP being able to use the ClearMask in the workplace.

On reasonable adjustments, the survey found that only 33 (39%) respondents say they received the necessary equipment or changes requested, with others reporting that adjustments recommended by occupational health were overruled by infection control teams.

Meanwhile, 40% of those surveyed said they felt they could not do the same job they did before the pandemic, while more than three quarters of deaf HCPs believed that the communication needs of deaf medical professionals have not been considered during this crisis.

Commenting on the findings, the authors wrote: “This survey clearly highlights that D/deaf HCPs were adversely affected by a lack of access to transparent masks during the coronavirus pandemic, and that urgent action is needed to ensure these highly skilled individuals are provided with the required reasonable adjustments, to enable them to remain in the health and social care workforce.

“There remains an urgent need for a fully funded commitment to provision of sufficient numbers of transparent masks […] suitable for use in healthcare settings. NHS England have recently started a project focused on development and procurement of transparent masks, including sustainable options, from UK-based manufacturers, although these are unlikely to be available until 2022.”

The trio went on to add that any future inquiry into the UK Government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic must acknowledge that there has been “widespread, systemic discrimination of d/Deaf HCPs”, including in clinical practice and policy.

“[The fact] that highly trained HCPs were removed from clinical practice, as a direct result of a lack of transparent masks or other reasonable adjustments reflects an appalling failure of employers, training bodies and organizations.

“Government, and NHS policy must be more than platitude; it needs to be translated into action and funding for required reasonable adjustments, together with a culture shift among employers and staff to tackle discrimination, and recognize disabled staff as an asset, and not a burden.

“Only then will D/deaf healthcare workers be confident that their skills, education and training are respected and highly valued, in an NHS that provides a ‘compassionate, inclusive culture… where everyone can belong’,” they concluded.

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.