Lived experiences network: Access to statutory services for the deaf community

Healthwatch Cumberland worked with the Cumberland Lived Experience Network to hold two workshops—in Carlisle and Whitehaven—to understand the challenges faced by the local Deaf community when accessing statutory services, including NHS care, dental services, and Adult Social Care. The sessions were run with the Cumbria Deaf Association (CDA), NHS partners, council staff and members of the Deaf community. Participants described consistent, significant barriers that lead to poorer health outcomes and reduced independence. 

Across both workshops, people reported that basic access to appointments is often impossible because most booking systems rely on telephones, SMS, or online platforms that are not suited to British Sign Language (BSL) users. Deaf individuals are rarely signposted through systems, and interpreter booking is inconsistent, often leading to appointments without interpreters, cancelled appointments, or reliance on family members—which breaches confidentiality and creates stress. 

NHS staff generally lack mandatory Deaf awareness training, and many communications (letters, forms, pre‑assessment tools, procedure information) are not available in BSL, Plain English or appropriate visual formats. This makes it difficult for Deaf patients to understand medical information, give informed consent, or follow treatment plans. Hospital signage and audiovisual screens were also described as inaccessible. 

There are only 43 accredited BSL interpreters across the North East and North Cumbria region, and capacity is too low to meet demand. This creates long waits, missed appointments, and inconsistent support. Participants emphasised that current pathways treat BSL differently from spoken languages, resulting in inequality of access. 

Access to Adult Social Care is similarly limited. Deaf people often rely on the CDA to initiate referrals because services lack signing staff and do not provide clear, accessible communication routes. Social workers may visit without interpreters, leading to confusion, missed support, and increased vulnerability. There is no joined‑up approach between NHS, local authority services and VCSE partners, which leaves many Deaf individuals without the help they need. 

Issues extend to dentistry, where NHS dentists are scarce and private practices seldom fund interpreters. Care homes were also highlighted as inaccessible, with staff rarely trained in deaf awareness and no specialist Deaf care homes in the north of England—forcing people far from family and community if specialist provision is needed. 

The report groups the problems into three stages:

1. Making appointments,
2. Completing appointments with understanding, and
3. Accessing follow‑on care.
   At each stage, lack of communication support and lack of staff awareness are key barriers. 

The Deaf community and statutory services jointly proposed solutions, including expanding communication passports across all services, producing BSL or video‑based information, using Plain English, ensuring interpreters are always booked by professionals, and developing multidisciplinary teams dedicated to Deaf access. They also recommended improved Deaf awareness training, better use of AI‑based BSL technologies, and co‑production with Deaf people in all service redesign.