The Deaf Sign Language User Forum is facilitated by the Belfast Trust and the British Deaf Association (BDA).
The aim of the forum is to support people who are Deaf sign language users and have experience of Belfast Trust services. To provide a platform for discussion and influence. The objective is to enable forum members, to represent the wider Deaf community and work with the Belfast Trust to improve communication within all of our services.
The Trust and BDA support a joint approach to discussion, task and responsibilities. Forum members are encouraged and supported to bring their experiences and concerns to meetings and then to work collectively with the Trust to bring about improvements.
To better support and understand the experiences of forum members the Trust and BDA have sort to work together to highlight experiences with Trust senior management.
The forum members have been invited to work with staff within the Trust to improve user experiences.
- Forum members have met with senior management from the Patient Experience team to tell their stories.
- Care opinion have worked with the Forum members to understand the complexity of access to their service
- Regional services i.e. cancer services and fertility services have worked closely with the Forum members and wider Deaf community supported by BDA to understand accessibility concerns, take action to improve alongside Deaf community and forum members.
- Trust services have attended forum meeting to understand the specific needs of the Deaf community (Occupational Therapy services, )
- The Trust complaints service is working closely with the Forum members to better understand accessibility needs and solution find together.
- The Trust sensory support team are working to meet communication support needs across the Trust.
- The Trust equality team have worked closely with the Forum members, BDA and SLi to ensure accessibility to better communication support.
- The BDA and Trust have worked with forum members to create information videos for staff
Patient experience hosted a workshop event in Nov 2023 for the Deaf community and staff to increase staff awareness and develop actions for improvement. A follow up workshop is planned for Nov 2024.
- Care Opinion – have an accessible pathway for the Deaf community to sign their experience, and receive a signed response.
- All staff have access to information about interpreting services via a poster / flyer. Information – how to book an interpreter and Belfast Trust QR code which takes you directly to SLi signed video BSL and ISL interpreters
- IPad now used at cancer centre reception to support signed video for deaf service users/carers
- BDA continue to provide Deaf Awareness session to Trust staff recently to Occupational Therapy staff and part of Safetember 20204 programme
- The complaints service are taking action to ensure accessibility across their services (website, processes and staff)
