Services for people who are Deaf or hearing impaired updated
We have received comments from Deaf service users, their families, friends and informal carers and from professionals who work with them.
We asked service users themselves, family members and friends, professionals working in health and social care services and teaching, and GP practices to tell us about the services and facilities available to people who are Deaf or who have a hearing impairment.
We have analysed the responses we received from the respondents to our survey and have reported what they told us to the local service commissioners and providers.
This project has been part of an exercise by the Havering Place-based Partnership to develop a new strategy for the delivery of services to people in Havering who are Deaf or who have a hearing impairment (or for the carers of such people).
You can download our report here:
Havering Adult College - BSL Choir
During our research for this report, we came into contact with the British Sign Language (BSL) Choir organised by the Havering Adult College, a group of people who are learning how to sign in BSL. We asked them to produce a video of their work, and this is what they did:
British Sign Language to be taught to GCSE level from 2025
Coincidentally with the publication of our report, the Government announced that from 2025 school students - and anyone else who wishes to - will be able to study for a GCSE in BSL.
Read more about the proposal here
Thank you so much for developing this report and leading this engagement piece. It is an excellent piece of work although the work starts now around addressing the recommendations. This work came about from one of the first ICB meetings in North East London where the executive were given feedback from members of the deaf community around how inaccessible their access to care was.
We all asked each other what we knew in Havering and we were honest enough to say we didn’t know enough and I am really grateful to Healthwatch for leading this work and continuing to be our critical friend.
