New report: Deaf people facing 'widespread failings' in NHS Wales due to poor communication
A new report released by leading charity RNID, reveals 'serious and widespread' health care failings affecting over 300,000 people across Wales who are deaf or have hearing loss
Last updated 24th Apr 2025
A new report released by leading charity RNID, reveals 'serious and widespread' health care failings affecting over 300,000 people across Wales who are deaf or have hearing loss.
Health services like the NHS are required, by law, to offer extra support if people with hearing loss struggle when accessing services.
For example, being provided with an accessible alternative to the telephone to be able to book appointments or receive test results; or a communication support professional, such as a qualified British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter to ensure they can understand appointments and procedures.
The new report, ‘Still ignored: the fight for accessible healthcare’, reveals more than 7 out of 10 (73%) deaf people and people with hearing loss in Wales have never been asked about their information and communication needs within a healthcare setting.
1 in 3 (30%) say they cannot contact their GP in a way they can access (e.g. by using an alternative to a telephone booking system).
Further barriers include issues with being called to appointments from the waiting room, which affect 2 out of 3 people (64%), through to almost half struggling to communicate with NHS staff when meeting to discuss symptoms or a problem (42%).
More than a third (38%) of people say they have left NHS appointments having not fully understood the information that have been given about their health.
A similar number (37%) say they leave not having a clear understanding of the outcome and next steps of their appointments.
1 in 4 patients (25%) who are deaf or have hearing loss say they have been denied the information and communication support they need.
Kate Boddy, originally from Wales, is the child of a deaf adult (CODA):
She says she was required to act as an interpreter for her father, Richard Boddy, when he was diagnosed with cancer in 2022.
Kate says: “Dad was diagnosed with cancer in 2022 and passed away 23 November 2023. He was just 70 years old.
"You always know from being within the deaf community how many barriers there are, but when you go through something so big as having a terminal illness, it really does bring to light how little access there is out there for a deaf person.
“If you need to learn about health conditions, there's nothing out there for deaf people. If you try to go online to find information, it’s very rarely in BSL which means there’s a dependency on family to translate that information.
“When it came to Dad, he didn't want to ask because it would mean that every conversation we had was about his illness, and it’s not really fair.
Polly Winn, External Affairs Manager (Wales) at RNID, says,
“The awful reality is that far too many deaf people and people with hearing loss are being failed by NHS Wales.
"It is not acceptable for individuals to be left not understanding serious, and even terminal, diagnoses, or having to share deeply personal and private information with family members because no communication support is being provided.
“NHS Wales is systematically discriminating against people who are deaf or have hearing loss: it’s a national scandal. Lives are being put at risk because of communication barriers, delays and out of date systems in need of a radical overhaul.
“Everyone deserves equal access to healthcare - it is a human right.
It is about time deaf people and people with hearing loss are given more access and control over their physical and mental healthcare.”
RNID is calling for major changes to ensure the NHS Wales meets the needs of deaf people and those with hearing loss.
Finally, the report suggests that people with lived experience of communication needs should be at the heart of plans for change.
In response, the Welsh Government says:
“We are currently renewing the standards that people with sensory loss should expect when accessing healthcare in Wales, working with organisations such as RNID and the British Deaf Association.
“This will ensure that deaf people and people with hearing loss and their carers know where they can access services, care and support in their local community.”