Enter and view - HENCEL- Whipps Cross University Emergency Department

Purpose of the visit

The visits were planned to evaluate access for those with communication impairments to Emergency Departments (EDs) across North, Central and East London. This will involve asking staff member’s questions about accessibility, observing the working practice, touring the department and if possible, engaging with service users. Research shows that there are health inequalities for disabled people4 . The access to health care services is somewhat limited for people with sensory impairments and this can lead to greater unmet health care needs. There are several barriers to accessing health services, which include lack of communication support, poor staff knowledge, poor staff attitudes and lack of effective systems for identifying patients with disabilities...

Recommendations

1. Leaflets in the ED should be made available in different formats. Staff should have access to online documentation that they can print in the size the patient needs.
2. Information should be provided in an accessible, easy read format.
3. Many patients who may have been born profoundly Deaf will not have English as their first language which can make it difficult for them to understand written languages. An overreliance on writing down information isn’t always suitable for every patient and shouldn’t be the only option available.
4. According to the Accessible Information Standards; all health and social care services must have a system for identifying where patients have additional communication support needs. The number of patients presenting with a learning disability and sensory impairment should be monitored.
5. All staff members, both nursing and administrative, should receive deaf awareness and visual awareness training. Appropriate communication support is vital for individuals when accessing services. Whipps Cross Hospital should not rely on the LD Link Officer to be able to adequately support Deaf people without attempting to engage the use of qualified interpreting support as soon as possible.
6. There should be a review of the support being offered to Deaf patients needing an MRI or CT scan.
7. Bart’s Health NHS Trust should have a communications strategy which includes a commitment to ensure patients and carers are able to access support and interpreting services (for BSL users) when necessary. All staff should be aware of how to access communication support for patients.
8. Bart’s Health NHS Trust should ensure that all departments have policies and procedures to support patients and carers with visual and sensory impairments.
9. Signage should be improved to make it more accessible for all patients.

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