Deaf community experiences in health and care

Healthwatch Stockton Upon Tees looked at the experiences of deaf people accessing healthcare services. The report highlights that many deaf people in Stockton‑on‑Tees continue to face significant and sometimes unsafe communication barriers when accessing health and care services. Despite 25 years of local campaigning, many still feel unheard, overlooked, and excluded. 

Deaf individuals report that staff often fail to adapt communication methods, rely heavily on telephone‑only systems, and do not consistently provide interpreters. Masks make lip‑reading impossible, written communication is unreliable in stressful environments, and missed visual alerts in hospitals lead to missed appointments and delays in care.

Interpreter support is frequently inadequate—interpreters are not booked, arrive late, or do not attend—forcing some patients to rely on relatives for sensitive conversations. This inconsistency extends across GP surgeries, hospitals, pharmacies, and emergency services. A small number of services were praised for good practice, but these examples remain exceptions. 

These communication failures have emotional consequences: many deaf people feel like “second‑class citizens,” forgotten or placed “at the bottom of the pile.” Experiences shared demonstrate that the system is not yet meeting its moral or legal duties under the Accessible Information Standard and the Equality Act 2010.

Nationally, Healthwatch England’s 2025 review confirms that these issues are widespread, with many services still failing to provide interpreters, accessible booking systems, or visual alerts. Although the government has announced a five‑year plan to expand British Sign Language use in public services, significant gaps remain. 

The report recommends actions including mandatory deaf‑awareness training, improved visual accessibility in healthcare environments, clear communication files for staff, better availability of hearing loops, and reminders to providers of their legal obligations. It also clarifies that GP practices, hospitals, and NHS Trusts—not patients—are responsible for arranging and funding interpreters. 

Healthwatch Stockton‑on‑Tees plans further focus groups and “Enter and View” visits with deaf individuals to assess accessibility and support system improvements. The report concludes with thanks to contributors and a commitment from University Hospitals Tees to work collaboratively on solutions.