Lives of deaf patients at risk amid NHS communication barriers, report warns
A general view of staff on a NHS hospital ward at Ealing Hospital in London
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THE lives of deaf patients are being put at risk by communication barriers in NHS England, two leading charities have warned.
A report by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and SignHealth reveals that deaf people are routinely denied essential support such as British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters, lipreaders or accessible ways to contact their GP, in breach of legal requirements under the Equality Act 2010.
The report found that almost half of deaf patients gave up trying to make an appointment due to communication barriers and nearly a quarter experienced delays or incorrect diagnoses.
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