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Deaf patients get a raw deal in NHS hospitals, suggests an illustrative case history of a deaf person's experience as an inpatient, published in the online journal BMJ Case Reports. During his hospital stay, reasonable adjustments to facilitate access to services—a key tenet of U.K. disability legislation—weren't made; the need for a professional British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter wasn't recognized soon enough; and frontline staff weren't adequately trained in how to support him.

Unfortunately, this experience isn't unique as these issues are "well known" to deaf people using NHS services, say the report authors.

The man used BSL as his primary means of communication, but his notes referred only to an ability to lip-read if someone spoke slowly and clearly.

After three days on the frailty assessment unit, he was deemed well enough and in possession of an appropriate package of care to be discharged home. This was based on his supposedly being able to lip-read what staff were saying and agreeing to most questions they asked of him.

But his package of care wasn't adequate, added to which he had no family nearby to support him, facts only uncovered by a doctor with basic BSL. The man was therefore not discharged home that day.

Four days after admission, a professional interpreter was requested. In the interim, the Interpreter on Wheels service (a portable iPad which can be used to video call a BSL interpreter) was sourced from the outpatient department to be used for future consultations.

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