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SignHealth

The Deaf health charity

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Our Campaigns

The best way of making Deaf people’s health better is to stop them getting sick in the first place.

SignHealth campaigns for changes which will make access to healthcare as easy for Deaf people as it is for hearing people.

We also campaign to make health information available to Deaf people in ways that make it easy to understand and to use.

Therapy The Deaf Way

Deaf people are twice as likely as hearing people to experience mental health problems, yet they do not have equal access to services. Therapy in BSL via SignHealth’s BSL Healthy Minds has a 75% success rate compared to 44% for therapy for hearing people. We know therapy in BSL works for Deaf people but provision varies from area to area. Many Clinical Commissioning Groups expect deaf people to access hearing services with therapists who don’t sign and don’t have an understanding of issues that affect deaf people. If therapy in BSL is available, there is often a long wait for an appointment due to funding difficulties.Logo

SignHealth’s Therapy, the Deaf Way campaign is asking the government to provide a nationally commissioned psychological therapy service for Deaf people in British Sign Language.

Healthier Together

In July 2015 the NHS in England published a new set of rules called the Accessible Information Standard.  The standard will commit health services to improve access to health services in what could be the biggest change England has ever seen in the healthcare of Deaf people.

Small group2SignHealth worked long and hard to make sure that the new rules included the changes we called for in our Sick Of It report. We succeeded.

Now we all need to work together to make sure that the rules are obeyed when they finally come into force on 31 July 2016. Healthier Together will share stories of success, put pressure on health professionals who aren’t changing and give Deaf people the tools they need to make doctors and other staff change.

“Sick Of It” – the Deaf Health Report

The stories we hear and the people we meet make it obvious that, in general, Deaf people have poorer health than hearing people, because access to doctors and to health information is made difficult when sign language is your first language. Now we’ve carried out the world’s first scientific study into the health of Deaf people compared to hearing people, which proves it’s true and tells us why it happens.Badge

The report is being used to launch a campaign to get government, the NHS, doctors and other healthcare workers to change their ways. We want sign language to be easily available in medical settings, to make access to healthcare for Deaf people equivalent to the access that hearing people get.

Our Health In Your Hands

SignHealth has joined forces with other charities for deaf people to try to improve the standard of sign language interpreting which is available at doctors’ surgeries, hospitals and the rest of the health service.ohyh

It’s important that interpreters are accurate and that they don’t miss things out. So our campaign is asking for all interpreters to be fully qualified and to wear a badge which proves it. We want interpreters checked out before they begin the important work of helping Deaf people get the medical help that they need.

Read More…

Mental Health Charter

A charter detailing the service deaf people should expect by right when they are receiving treatment for mental health problems.

Read More…

The Deaf Health Charity SignHealth works to improve the health of Deaf people. We do that by offering services and projects to help individuals, and by campaigning for improvements to help the whole Deaf community.

Campaigning News

Deaf Therapy: Celia needs your story

SignHealth is asking Deaf people to tell them about their experiences of accessing Deaf therapy. Celia Hulme, Campaigns Officer, is working on a new campaign which calls on the Government to make access to therapy equal. Currently many Deaf people are unable to have therapy due to funding issues. Those that do have therapy often.. Read More

SignHealth launches Healthier Together campaign

After years of campaigning and persuasion, we have a chance of making the biggest improvement ever to healthcare for Deaf people in England. Now we all need to make sure the opportunity isn’t lost. We need to come together as one — to be Healthier Together. [clear] Together we can make sure that our health professionals know.. Read More

First Impressions

by Paul Stemman, SignHealth’s head of Policies and Campaigns. I have just finished reading the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) and all the documents that go with it. It is not the most exciting thing I have ever read — but it might be one of the most important. Every deaf person should know about it. You.. Read More

In touch with SignHealth

Why is the witch in the water? Who are the doctors? What’s so funny about a painted face? Find out the stories behind the pictures. See how the help that you give us is transforming the lives and health of deaf people. Sign-up now for our newsletter. The newsletter will be delivered straight to your inbox.. Read More

SignHealth Leading UKCOD with Information Standard – Update from Steve Powell & Paul Stemman

Steve Powell, Chief Executive of the Deaf health charity SignHealth, and Paul Stemman, Head of Policies and Campaigns, gives an update on the Information Standard. Paul Stemman explains. “We have a rare opportunity to make the NHS more accessible. Nearly 70 years after its creation, there is a real chance that NHS services will finally.. Read More

Information Standard – Deaf People, Help Us to Improve the NHS

As you know, we have been working with the NHS to improve Deaf people’s access to healthcare. SignHealth, the Deaf health charity, are helping the NHS create a new set of guidelines called the Information Standard (find out what the Information Standard is in BSL by clicking here). These guidelines tell medical professionals how to make information accessible to.. Read More

SignHealth Work With the NHS to Improve Access to the NHS Friends & Family Test

(BSL Clip) Paul Stemman, SignHealth’s Director of Research, explains how we have been supporting the NHS to make their feedback system Deaf friendly. Read More

Information Standard: The NHS Make Changes for Deaf People … Update

Do the NHS want to make their service better for Deaf people? Yes, they do. They want their patients to be top priority. And how will they do this? Information will be made more accessible and communication easier. The NHS have called this new project  ‘Making Health and Social Care Information Accessible‘, and at the end of it, a.. Read More

The Health Service is Failing Deaf People, says Annmarie Stone

Annmarie Stone is involved with Healtchwatch Wigan, she established the voluntary project Deaf Awareness Network and is a SignHealth Deaf Health Champion. Annmarie is Deaf and has Usher syndrome, meaning she has experienced communication barriers herself. After coming to our Sick Of It conference and standing on stage to passionately share information about the barriers Deaf people.. Read More

‘There Should be More Information that Deaf People Can Access,’ says John Walker

John Walker works for the University of Brighton as a senior researcher fellow and a member of the Community University Partnership Programme (CUPP). After seeing our Sick Of It report, he contacted us for more information about our Deaf health study. During our conversations we talked to John about our Deaf Awareness Week project, and he was happy.. Read More

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Latest News

sign2sing…with Take That!

Well done to everyone who has been trying to guess the famous band behind this year’s song on our social media channels. We are very excited to announce that this year's sign2sing song is . . . … read more >>

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  • Thank you to Waitrose Online

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Telephone: 020 3947 2600
Fax: 020 8772 3242
SMS/text message: 07966 976749
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Charity and company details

SignHealth is a charity registered in England & Wales (1011056), and Scotland (SC044122).
Registered as a company limited by guarantee in England & Wales (2610559). Registered Office: Falcon Mews, 46 Oakmead Road, London, SW12 9SJ

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