Agenda item

The Chair received an oral presentation from Pauline Dunn, Trustee, Secretary and Treasurer of the Doncaster and District Deaf Society. Ms Dunn’s presentation was informative, thought provoking and provided a valuable insight into the lived experiences of British Sign Language Users in Doncaster.

Some of the key points highlighted throughout the presentation, included the following:-

·         The lack of BSL interpreters available for medical appointments. It was highlighted that many GP Surgeries would not provide one as it was believed that this was at a cost to them, however, this was not the case and they were fully funded;

·         Access to Social Care was time-consuming frustrating and intimidating for many deaf people as the paperwork that needed completing was very confusing without someone to explain and go through things.

·         Alert Alarms were often problematic for elderly and vulnerable deaf people as they often didn’t realise they had set it off, nor could they respond when the alarm then raised a contact;

·         With regard to Early Years and Playgroups, very few could cope with deaf BSL users and all support was directed in different directions meaning that from an early age, many children and families were missing out on interactions, opportunities and valuable support;

·         With regard to recruitment, many deaf individuals were overlooked or felt isolated, as they were unable to communicate with potential employers. More support was needed in this area;

·         Mental Health was a huge health issue for children, young people and adults from the deaf community, and many people were still not able to access valuable support, thus increasing the problems they faced. It was a huge problem throughout their lives, based on social isolation, and lack of communication and integration.

·         There were many many gaps all across all services and it was imperative that this was addressed in order to prevent the problem within society from escalating further.  There was a national shortage of BSL interpreters and whilst some companies were starting to make some improvements, it still was not enough

The Health and Well Being Board were extremely grateful for the presentation and it raised some very important issues that many people previously may not have been fully aware of with all partners agreeing that work needed to be done in a variety of areas.

It was agreed that it was a powerful presentation, holding people to account and some simple changes could be made, which would make huge impacts across the deaf community. Additionally, there were some more timely pieces of work that needed to be looked at, but there was agreement across the Board that this needed to be addressed.

            RESOLVED that:-

1)    Dr Alsindi communicate to all GPs the need to use BSL interpreters reiterating this is at no cost to the Practice;

2)    Pauline Dunn to meet with Riana Nelson to address the issues with regard to Early Years, as well as picking up culture issues highlighted within the presentation in relation to recruitment and employment;

3)    In the area of Adult Social Care, Annika Leyland Bolton would pick up on the learning lessons highlighted within the presentation, including the issues relating to pendant alarms, form filling and phone calls;

4)    Richard Parker to contact the Head of Patient Experience to arrange a meeting between themselves and Pauline Dunn;

5)    A report be brought back to the Health and Well Being Board at the September Meeting for an update and to see what changes had been implemented