Payout Over Sign Language Failure For Man In Care

A council in west London has apologised after failing to provide adequate support for a deaf man receiving care who required British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters.

Hammersmith and Fulham also agreed to pay the man’s granddaughter £450 and “review its processes” on interpreters with BSL.

The Local Government Ombudsman found several faults with the service provided by the council, including that staff at a care home, referred to as Care Home B, were not trained in BSL, contrary to the man’s care requirements.

A council spokesperson said they “wholeheartedly” apologise to the family and that they are working to ensure the same issues do not arise again.

The ombudsman said the man, referred to as Mr Y, had a number of health conditions, was profoundly deaf and used sign language to communicate, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

His daughter, Ms Z, was his main carer. Miss X, his granddaughter, is a qualified BSL interpreter.

In March 2024, Mr Y was discharged from hospital following which he received a care plan.

It noted that his first language was BSL and that he required a BSL interpreter although, because of difficulties finding carers with such skills, Ms Z was asked to help them communicate with Mr Y.

Council ‘to review processes’

In September 2024, Care Home B told the council it had met with Mr Y’s family and that they were happy for him to move there as long as the BSL outreach support was provided.

The care plan said care home staff should learn basic BSL skills, but the home said it had received no training in BSL or deaf awareness.

In December 2024, Mr Y was transferred back to another care home shortly after which he was admitted to hospital, where he died.

During this period Miss X had complained to the council on various points regarding her grandfather’s care.

A series of actions were agreed with the council, including apologising to Miss X, making a payment to her of £450 and reviewing its processes regarding the provision of BSL interpreters.

A Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesperson said: “We wholeheartedly apologise to the family. Finding specialist British Sign Language and deaf relay interpreters for care homes can be very difficult and we’re working to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”