Two-thirds of Deaf patients have no accessible way of contacting GP, survey reveals

67% of Deaf people have not been given an accessible way of contacting their GP, according to a survey run by a group of charities including SignHealth, RNIB and RAD.

714 people with communication needs and 196 health professionals responded to the poll about the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) – guidance enforced in 2016 which requires NHS providers and publicly funded adult social care to meet the “communication support needs” of disabled patients.

The research also revealed that 1 in 3 health and social care providers were unaware or unsure about the existence of the AIS, while only 11 percent of disabled patients said they have fair and impartial access to the NHS.

James Watson-O’Neill, Chief Executive of SignHealth, said the new report provides “even more evidence” of Deaf and disabled people being “excluded from public services”.

“It is unacceptable for only one in ten disabled people to have equitable access to healthcare, particularly when the right to do so is protected in law. This has to change.

“SignHealth and the other charities involved in this report are ready to help fix it once and for all. Will the NHS work with us to do that?”

“Many of the actions required to improve access to services, communication with healthcare providers, and long-term condition management are simple and cost-neutral, or cost-saving, if implemented correctly,” added Abigail Gorman, Policy and Public Affairs Manager at the charity.

The report goes on to add that 57% of Deaf patients who require communication support have “very little access to healthcare”, while more than a third (37%) of professionals reported that AIS training has never occurred at their organisation.

81% of respondents said they have had an appointment where their communication needs weren’t met, meanwhile only 41% of complaints procedures were considered to be accessible by health professionals.

The coalition of charities has now issued a series of urgent priorities, including staff training on the AIS; moving away from relying solely on telephone contact; and a flagging system on patient records to inform professionals of a patient’s communication needs.

They also recommend that patients have access to their own health records to update their communication needs; an AIS lead be positioned at every provider to implement the standard; and that providers should examine their current offer alongside patients with lived experience.

The document goes on to call for a 24/7 video relay service for NHS services, to “provide communication support at short notice or in cases where agency provisions fail”.

It comes after BSL Health Access, a sign language service funded by SignHealth which allowed Deaf people to contact medical staff, was forced to close in March 2021 due to a lack of NHS funding.

The report then concludes: “The NHS Accessible Information Standard (AIS) clearly sets out the steps that providers must take to meet information and communication needs. Our evidence shows that this is not happening.

“The NHS is a source of pride, created to provide universal access to health care to everyone at the point of need. According to the NHS Long Term Plan, every action will be taken to drive down health inequalities. To achieve this, the Accessible Information Standard must be fully implemented so that NHS services can support, listen to, and treat people to improve their health and wellbeing.”

In a statement responding to the report’s findings, an NHS spokesperson said: “All NHS services have a legal duty to provide clear and appropriate methods of communication to ensure that patients, service users and carers understand everything they need to about their treatment and care.”

The Limping Chicken understands NHS England is currently reviewing the AIS, with a view to better ensure the communication needs of patients are met.

The full report is available in accessible formats on SignHealth’s website.

Photo: SignHealth.

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.