Across the UK, D/deaf individuals in need of care are facing a critical shortfall in appropriate services, with many being placed in care homes where British Sign Language (BSL) is not used or understood. This ongoing issue highlights a major gap in the country’s care infrastructure — one that leaves D/deaf people underserved, excluded, and at risk.
Communication is central to a person’s quality of life. In care settings, it becomes even more vital — enabling residents to express their needs, maintain their dignity, and engage with those around them. Yet, for D/deaf people this basic right is often not being met. The lack of dedicated D/deaf care services means many are placed in predominantly Hearing care homes without enough provisions to support the individual’s communication needs.
At Heanor Park, one of the UK’s few specialist care homes with a specialist D/deaf service where staff communicate using BSL, this crisis is felt daily. Another recent enquiry brought this issue into sharp focus: a Deaf person had been placed in a non-specialist Hearing care home and allocated only two hours of BSL support per week through an external interpreter. For the remaining 166 hours of the week, they were left isolated — unable to communicate their needs, participate in activities, or interact meaningfully with other residents and staff. Their family, distraught and desperate, reached out in search of more suitable support but found very few options available.
This case is not an isolated one. Placing a BSL user in an environment with no accessible communication severely impacts their wellbeing. Despite obligations under the Equality Act 2010 for reasonable adjustments to be made, many local authorities continue to place Deaf individuals in settings that cannot meet their most basic communication needs and are not putting in appropriate provisions for the D/deaf individual.
The consequences are particularly serious for elderly D/deaf people, who often face additional health or mobility challenges. Without appropriate communication, these individuals are at heightened risk of loneliness, mental health issues and undetected care needs — amounting to what many consider systemic neglect.
This is not just about personal preference; it is about equity, dignity, and basic human rights. It’s a crucial issue that demands our attention, as many of us will require care at some point in our lives. Regardless of whether you are hearing or D/deaf, everyone should have equal access to communication.
