Birmingham hospital apologises after Deaf woman was allegedly asked if she can ‘discuss things via pen and paper’

A Birmingham hospital has said it is “very sorry” to hear concerns over its communication with a Deaf woman in July, after she was allegedly asked if she could “discuss things via pen and paper” instead of using a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.

A written note was shared to Instagram by interpreting agency The Sign Life on Tuesday, which reportedly concerns the woman’s profoundly Deaf father, who was being treated at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the city.

It reads: “Why are the team waiting for BSL interpreters to discuss plans with you? Can they discuss things via pen/paper? As interpreters often take a long time to arrange.”

In a caption commenting on the letter, The Sign Life added that “the lack of awareness and endless excuses are simply not acceptable anymore”, describing the nurse’s request to write messages down instead of an interpreter as “a poor excuse” and a “huge no”.

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“Simply book an interpreter through the contracts/procedures that have been set up at these hospitals. Follow the Equality Act 2010 and ensure access for the Deaf community.

“The Deaf gentleman was in hospital for nine weeks and only provided an interpreter three times,” they went on to allege. “So that’s 63 days in hospital and only three days he had a BSL interpreter. Why is this acceptable?!”

In an email to The Limping Chicken, the woman involved, Jennifer Graham-Petty, said she felt “lost” and “lost confidence” during the alleged incident.

“I find it hard to explain certain things, as I did when my Dad was in hospital. I had loads of questions to ask but was unable to do so. I could only ask simple questions on paper but that did not satisfy me.

“My Dad’s English and understanding was even less than mine, so I needed to know what was going on so I could rely everything to him in our own way of communication. It was simple BSL with a Scottish regional variation as we both are native Scots,” she claimed.

Jennifer went on to add that she was annoyed at some of the doctors for how they allegedly tried to communicate with her late father, using thumbs up gestures while wearing masks.

She continued: “Dad only could reply with thumbs up because he didn’t know how to express himself without any help.

“He was blind in one eye, and the other eye was not good, he struggled to read with that eye and found BSL easier to follow with that eye more than reading.”

Jennifer also alleged that her 16-year-old son had to accompany her father to A&E to interpret for him when he sustained a bloody nose after falling out of his bed. She claims that on the second hospital admission, her 12-year-old daughter was asked to interpret for him.

Alongside emailing a statement to this website, Jennifer shared an email sent by a friend about the alleged situation, in which they write that Jennifer’s father complained of feeling unwell the day before he died.

“His deaf daughter alerted a couple of nurses to this, only to be told we will keep an eye on him – no doctor was alerted at this point.

“His daughter then left the hospital only to be called on the phone in which her 16-year-old son answered and had to relay the fact that his grandad had taken a turn for the worse and was not expected to survive the night.

“His daughter is distraught and feels if those two nurses had checked him over or got a doctor they could have started treatment sooner. He might still be alive,” they claim.

The alleged incident has since been criticised by Instagram users, who called the situation “inhumane” and “disgraceful”.

In a statement, a spokesperson for University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust – who manage the hospital – stressed that all staff at the trust are “able to book BSL interpreters”.

“We are very sorry to hear about these concerns. We are continually working to improve our services for deaf patients and their carers, as well as providing information, support and training for our staff,” they said.

The Trust added that their Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) are in contact with Jennifer following her concerns.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.