About

A blog for deaf people to tell us about their experiences of visiting their doctor or hospital

SignHealth is the national charity for deaf people and is trying to change the system to make it easier for deaf people to communicate with health care professionals in a way that is right for them.  We talk with people at the Department of Health. We regularly contact people at all levels of the health service. But change will only happen if deaf people work with us to make it happen.

SignHealth recently published a report which showed for the first time the difference in service experienced by deaf people when seeing their doctor.  It showed that deaf people make more appointments with their GP; they suffer more ill health generally and are less satisfied with many aspects of the service they receive.

Deaf people have the right to support with communication when accessing health services.  But we know that this is rarely available, especially when appointments are made at short notice.

We want to hear about deaf people’s experiences when accessing health services either at the doctors or in hospital.  So, if you have struggled with communication or found it difficult to get an interpreter, let us know.  If you find it difficult to make an appointment yourself or if you have to have a member of your family with you on such occasions, we want to hear about it.

You might be a friend of a deaf person or a family member, so you may also have something to tell us about.

With this information, we can make people listen and make the system change.

  1. #1 by Hilary Rundell - April 8th, 2009 at 18:23

    About three years ago when I first saw the leaflet about SignTranslate, I did a copy and gave to my GP. Nothing happened till last year when I saw the advertisement on SignTranslate that I did a copy and post to the Manager of my surgery. Reply was that they have the Loop System and I reponsed that it wasn’t any good to myself that I need a Sign Langauge interpreter. I didn’t get a response to the SignTranslate till December 2008 with the remarks on cost but nothing to say whether they will try it out or not. I contacted SignTranslate for help as felt getting nowhere with my surgery. I wrote again and the response was that they have passed to PCT for funding, yet they are missing out on trying it for a year since last summer. I did point out that it was the best way of getting a signer quicker as sometimes you cannot get one on the day of your appointment.
    What annoys me about the surgery is how did they know whether to have the Loop System as patients are not asked what their needs are, such as sending out survey letter. I don’t know if other deaf patients use the same surgery as myself.
    The only thing I have found of improvement for my needs since I have used the surgery for many years is that there is a board announcement system in the waiting room and lets you know when it’s your turn to see your GP. Before the receptionist would call your name out, a system I didn’t like that whenever I had a appointment I would tell the receptionist not to call me but to come and tell me which was a help.

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  2. #2 by Rachel Morgan - November 10th, 2009 at 21:46

    Hilary Rundell :About three years ago when I first saw the leaflet about SignTranslate, I did a copy and gave to my GP. Nothing happened till last year when I saw the advertisement on SignTranslate that I did a copy and post to the Manager of my surgery. Reply was that they have the Loop System and I reponsed that it wasn’t any good to myself that I need a Sign Langauge interpreter. I didn’t get a response to the SignTranslate till December 2008 with the remarks on cost but nothing to say whether they will try it out or not. I contacted SignTranslate for help as felt getting nowhere with my surgery. I wrote again and the response was that they have passed to PCT for funding, yet they are missing out on trying it for a year since last summer. I did point out that it was the best way of getting a signer quicker as sometimes you cannot get one on the day of your appointment.What annoys me about the surgery is how did they know whether to have the Loop System as patients are not asked what their needs are, such as sending out survey letter. I don’t know if other deaf patients use the same surgery as myself.The only thing I have found of improvement for my needs since I have used the surgery for many years is that there is a board announcement system in the waiting room and lets you know when it’s your turn to see your GP. Before the receptionist would call your name out, a system I didn’t like that whenever I had a appointment I would tell the receptionist not to call me but to come and tell me which was a help.

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  3. #3 by John Norfolk - December 5th, 2009 at 20:07

    I live in Tiverton, Devon, where my GP practice is the Castle Place practice based at Tiverton Hospital.
    They have set up an on-line appointment booking service which is a great help in making doctor’s apppointments. There is also a visual display board to tell you when you are being called for the appointment. It has a seriously LOUD beep to warn when the display changes and it makes me jump as the shrill sound is magnified by my hearing aids!!
    I am quite pleased with what they do to help although I do have one minor gripe …. the on-line appointment booking service only allows me to book with a GP but not with the practice nurse. This is a nuisance as a great many deaf patients are older and need routine check-ups for blood pressure or blood samples and these are dealt with by the nurse, not the doctor. So I have to go in person to the surgery and arrange the routine appointment at the receptionists counter. With all the background noise its not easy.

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