2 January 2017
Whistleblower — “The deaf are still being
failed. Nothing has changed.”
The Courier has learnt
complaints are regularly made by deaf people over a lack of access to sign
language interpreters.
A key figure within
Dundee’s charitable sector for the deaf and hard of hearing claims an
“inflexible” booking system is leading to interpreters failing to make medical
appointments for people reliant on their services.
It’s further claimed a
basic lack of awareness on the part of doctors and medical staff is leading to
interpreters often not being booked when necessary.
The complaints, its said,
have all been passed to NHS Tayside, but very little has been addressed.
The allegations come just
two years after the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) intervened
in the case of an elderly Perth woman left in hospital for six days without
access to an interpreter.
Claiming nothing has
improved since then, the whistleblower said: “Deaf people are still turning up
to appointments and there is no one there.
“It’s not the interpreter’s
problem, they’re there to do a job and are frustrated too.
“It’s the booking system
that isn’t flexible enough.
“Interpreters are only
given a yes or no option and can’t come back and say: “I can’t do four o’clock,
but I can do quarter past”.
“We’re meant to be moving
towards a situation where interpreters are booked before an appointment is
made, but that is not happening.”
The whistleblower
continued: “People working in doctor surgeries and hospitals also often don’t
see BSL (British Sign Language) as a language and think deaf people can lip
read.
“One deaf man was admitted
to hospital three times in January and each time it took at least three days
before they got an interpreter in — and that was only after his family kicked
up.
“Two years are up, but
there doesn’t seem to have been any real noticeable change.”
NHS Tayside Diversity and
Inclusion Manager Santosh Chima insisted the healthboard has worked closely
with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to deploy a “high quality,
person-centred service”.
She said: “NHS Tayside has
worked with the Equality and Human Rights Commission over the last two years to
make improvements to interpretation and translation services.
“We meet with
representatives of the deaf community through the Health and Deaf Action Group
which has been set up to involve, consult and engage with deaf service users to
help shape and improve access to NHS services.
“Currently NHS Tayside is
in the process of reviewing its contract with Dundee Translation and
Interpreting Services.
“We will be carrying out a
full options appraisal process, in partnership with deaf and deafblind
communities, to ensure that we continue to deliver a high quality,
person-centred service that is fit for the future.”
