SignHealth To Revolutionise
GPs Communication With The Deaf Community
GPs are now able to remotely access an interpreter for Deaf patients at
the ‘click of a mouse’. The revolutionary web-based program
SignHealth has been enhanced to provide live sign language interpreting
over the internet.
SignHealth, developed by the national charity Sign,
enables doctors and nurses to communicate with Deaf patients who use
British Sign Language (BSL) via a computer program.
The new development to the program allows a Deaf patient and a GP to
have fully interactive two-way communication with a live BSL interpreter
using a simple web cam. This means that GPs can have almost instant
access to a BSL interpreter allowing them to deal easily with short
notice or unsupported Deaf patient appointments.
Recent research carried out by The University of Manchester demonstrates
a disturbing picture where Deaf people face difficult and often
distressing obstacles in order to access the NHS.
Two-thirds of Deaf people surveyed said it was important to have support
to communicate with their doctor, yet more than half were alone at their
last appointment.
SignHealth provides this support and gives doctors and Deaf patients a
simple way to communicate easily and quickly with the added benefit of
direct access to a live BSL interpreter if needed.
Another feature of SignHealth allows surgeries to create and send text
messages to Deaf patients. Sending appointment reminders and
prescription pickups by text dramatically reduces missed appointments by
Deaf patients which at present are estimated to cost the NHS £20
million a year (
RNID)
.
SignHealth will also support PCTs with their communication about the
program to surgeries and provide clear instruction on how to access it
as well as supplying a webcam as part of the service.
PCTs are already incorporating SignHealth in their DES plans, and are
addressing their obligations for equity of access to healthcare services
under the Disability and Discrimination Act 1995. The act states that
doctors are legally obliged under the new legislation to ensure that
disabled people have the same access as everyone else to the services
they provide.
Nearly 20% of England’s PCT’s took a user license under the
endorsement of the Department of Health, last year. The basic program
gives GPs immediate access to BSL translation in the form of short video
clips.
Roger Hewitt, SignHealth Deaf Community Ambassador who is responsible
for promoting SignHealth to the Deaf Community, commented: “At present
a Deaf person may have to wait up to two weeks for a doctor’s
appointment because of the shortage of fully qualified BSL interpreters
within England. With SignHealth there is no need to wait.”
Phil Murden, Managing Director of SignHealth, commented: “We have
received very positive feedback from GPs and their Deaf patients who
have used the program. We are also delighted that interpreters see the
online service as giving them the flexibility to work where they please
and allow them to make more efficient use of their time.”
Phil continued: “With so much focus on reducing interpreting costs
within the NHS, SignHealth can deliver real cost efficiencies, whilst
improving access to primary care for Deaf people.”
SignHealth is the only computer program of its kind to offer
communication support to Deaf patients at GP surgeries. A demo version
of SignHealth can be viewed by GPs by logging onto
www.signhealth.com,
username; gpcommunity, password; demo
.
(12/7/07)
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