Access to health and social care services for deaf and hard of hearing people in Wolverhampton

Abstract

In 2012 Johannes Fellinger and colleagues highlighted a growing concern for signs of health inequality amongst D/deaf individuals, in the area of both general and mental health, within their respective community/country. The claim was even made that deafness itself can endanger your health (Alexander, Ladd and Powell, 2012). It was also established that the level of poor communication between D/deaf patients and health professionals, exacerbated the barriers to health care, which D/deaf people experienced. Barnet et.al. examining health inequality experienced by D/deaf people argued that “... It appears that addressing language barriers improves adherence with some preventive services and may help prevent chronic diseases or improve patient’s long-term outcomes through earlier detection” (Barnett, et al, 2011:2). This is supported by Alexander, Ladd and Powell, who advocate that “good communication is the key” (2012:980), given that it is “the bedrock of diagnosis and treatment” (The Lancet, 2012:977) and has the potential to avoid offering a lower standard of service (Sign Health 2014).