Hospital Investigation Uncovers Distressing Interpreter Failure
A Birmingham hospital has been strongly criticised after an investigation found staff used a teenage boy to deliver devastating news about his grandfather's condition to his deaf mother. The 16-year-old, Connor Petty, was forced to act as an interpreter when medical professionals at Queen Elizabeth Hospital failed to provide proper British Sign Language (BSL) support.
Family Forced into Unacceptable Communication Role
Alan Graham, a 75-year-old former furniture maker originally from Dundee, was admitted to the Birmingham hospital in June 2021 following a fall. Despite being diagnosed with heart failure and spending eleven weeks in hospital care, the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust provided professional interpreters on only three occasions throughout his entire stay.
Mr Graham's daughter, Jennifer Graham-Petty, who was born deaf and relies on BSL for communication, described how her children were regularly used by hospital staff to relay medical information. "It was extremely frustrating, every day I was asking for an interpreter," she told investigators. "My children just wanted to visit their granddad and be there for him as family members but they were constantly being asked to translate by the staff."
Teenager Delivers Terminal Prognosis
The situation reached its most distressing point when Connor, then aged 16, had to inform his mother that medical staff believed his grandfather might not survive the night. He was also required to communicate that doctors thought cardiopulmonary resuscitation should not be administered if the need arose.
Ms Graham-Petty emphasised the inappropriate burden placed on her children: "While they know some BSL, they are hearing so it is not their first language and they don't have the same level of knowledge as a professional to interpret the medical jargon that staff were asking them to. Having to deliver the bad news about my dad's prognosis was totally unacceptable and very upsetting for all of us."
Systemic Failures Identified
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) investigation determined that the trust had failed to comply with national clinical guidelines, which clearly state that interpreters should be provided for those facing communication difficulties. The investigation also noted that staff regularly used Mr Graham's grandchildren to communicate with him directly, as he was also deaf and used BSL.
Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive at the PHSO, stated: "Public services must be accessible to everyone for the system to be fair and equitable. Deaf patients and their families should have access to the same healthcare as everyone else without facing additional barriers."
Broader Implications for Healthcare Access
The case has highlighted wider concerns about interpreter availability across healthcare settings. Ms Graham-Petty commented: "Too often there is a lack of interpreters in healthcare settings all over the UK, I have experienced it myself when being referred by GPs. There needs to be more awareness about the barriers faced by deaf people and things need to change."
Victoria Boelman, director of insight and policy at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), described the situation as "entirely unjust and unacceptable, yet sadly unsurprising." She added: "We know from our research and campaigning work in this area that the levels of communication support and access to healthcare information for deaf communities and those with hearing loss are often woefully lacking."
Recommendations and Required Actions
The PHSO has made several recommendations following their investigation:
- The trust must create a comprehensive action plan to prevent similar situations occurring
- The hospital should issue a formal apology to the affected family
- Compensation should be paid to Mr Graham's daughter and grandchildren
- Concerns about BSL interpreter access have been raised with NHS England and the RNID
The RNID is now calling on the Department of Health and Social Care to implement mandatory deaf awareness training for all NHS staff, among other improvements. Mr Graham, who was discharged in August 2021 but readmitted in September with symptoms including leg swelling and chest pain, died two weeks after his return to hospital.
