[lg policy] Health Trust apologises for failing to supply a sign language expert to assist dying man

[Harold Schiffman]

 Health Trust apologises for failing to supply a sign language expert to
assist dying man
[image: Jillian Shanks and her mother, Mary Carson] *1* *1* Jillian Shanks
and her mother, Mary Carson

By *Adrian Rutherford*

March 23 2018

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A health trust has apologised after a daughter had to tell her deaf father
that he was dying because no sign language expert was available.

The family of Thomas Carson had to use a picture board to communicate with
him in his final days.

His daughter Jillian Shanks said it was humiliating and inappropriate.

The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust has apologised and paid
£7,000, without admission of liability, to the family.

Mr Carson, who was 79 and from Belfast, passed away at the Ulster Hospital,
Dundonald in November 2016. He had been admitted three weeks earlier.

Jillian explained: "My father was taken ill quite suddenly and, because the
hospital did not provide a sign language interpreter, I had to communicate
the news to him that his condition was terminal and he was going to die.

"That was very distressing - for him, for myself and for my mother, who is
also deaf and was with him throughout."

Mr Carson and his wife Mary have always used British Sign Language as their
first language.

The Equality Commission supported Jillian and her mother to bring a case
under the Disability Discrimination Act over the Trust's failure to provide
interpretation services.

In settling the case, the South Eastern Trust apologised for the upset and
distress the family experienced and for the fact that, by not providing an
interpreter to Mr Carson, it had not acted in accordance with its 'Policy
on Access on Interpreting and Written Translation Services'.

Jillian added: "The lack of a qualified sign language interpreter to
communicate with my father and mother during his last days added greatly to
the ordeal for all of us.

"As a family it was inevitably a most difficult time, but the lack of this
key support made it worse.

"At one stage a picture board was used to try and communicate with my
father - that was humiliating and simply not appropriate in the
circumstances."

Her mother, Mr Carson's wife Mary, added: "The hospital knew that both my
husband and I were deaf and they should have followed their own policy and
ensured that we had an interpreter at such a critical time.

"We just hope that this will mean that no other family have to face such a
problem."

The South Eastern Trust has now taken steps to highlight the importance of
providing independent interpreters for patients who need them.

Anne McKernan, director of legal services at the Equality Commission for
Northern Ireland, said: "The Trust's failure to implement the policies they
already had in place meant that an additional degree of unnecessary
distress and hurt was caused to this family.

"It could and should have been avoided."

A Trust spokesperson said: "The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
welcomed the opportunity to meet with and apologise directly to the Carson
Family in December 2017 for the upset and distress they experienced through
not having an available interpreter.

"The Trust is grateful that the Carson family accepted the apology and that
this case was brought to a satisfactory conclusion.

"Following the settlement, the Trust met with the Equality Commission for
Northern Ireland and discussed ongoing training and an awareness raising
strategy for staff with regard to accessing interpreters.

"Initiatives include Ward Managers receiving specific training on accessing
independent sign language interpreters for patients and allocated places on
the 'Working Well with Interpreters' training sessions which are being held
throughout the Trust."

Belfast Telegraph


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 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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