BSL in Health & Social Care
Health and Social Care services are an important part of our everyday lives, which is why it is important that these services are accessible to everyone. Just Sign provides interpreters for a wide variety of appointments, meetings and other assignments.
Health and Social Care can include GP appointments, hospital and clinic appointments, surgery, dental, maternity, mental health (including psychology/psychiatry services), addiction support, and other services in both NHS and private. Social Care also includes support for disability or long-term illness, child protection, social work appointments and assessments.
Benefits of working with us
Just Sign has many years of experience in providing interpreters for NHS and Social Care appointments. We provide interpreters who are skilled and accomplished in translating medical terminology and have a broad knowledge of Social Care pathways and support services.
Booking an interpreter
Contact Just Sign to request an interpreter for your client’s appointment. We will work to secure an interpreter with the appropriate skills and knowledge to best meet your needs and those of your patients/clients.
Collaborative working
Our team will keep you informed throughout the process of securing an interpreter, and make sure you are updated with any changes. Similarly, we may ask you to provide extra information to ensure that the interpreter is fully prepared for the assignment.
Consistent support
We will endeavour to secure the same interpreters for any follow-up appointments or further interactions with patients/clients, to ensure a smooth and consistent support throughout their journey with your service.
Continuous Service
We recognise that a person’s journey through a service is not always straightforward. Just Sign can continue to support your patients/clients from their first appointment through to discharge or referrals on to other services.
Customer testimonials
What our customers really think of us.
Name Surname
Name Surname
Customer journey
A typical customer case study journey and what we do and offer.
The opportunity
We were approached by Health and Social Care as they had a Deaf BSL using patient who would require a number of sessions, they had also requested a female interpreter and provided a list of preferred interpreters. The sessions would be a mix of online and face to face.
What we did
It is important that we take as many details as we can to ensure we can fully inform the interpreter of what to expect when accepting the assignment. We required the patients name, the nature of the appointment*, a list of dates and time the interpreter is required, location details for face to face and links for online appointments.
Initially we checked availability for the sessions with the list of preferred interpreters, our aim is to have continuity of interpreters, whether that is the same interpreter throughout or a team of interpreters.
*It is important to have this information to ensure the interpreters allocated to this assignment have the relevant experience/ knowledge. For example, we would not put a newly qualified interpreter into a mental health appointment.
The outcome
We took on board the needs of the patient and adhered to using their preferred interpreter. The interpreter was well informed of what the sessions would entail, which allowed the interpreter to research sign specific terminology ahead of the appointments.
We booked the same interpreter for each session, thus allowing for continuity. This also allows the interpreter, patient and clinician to build rapport which creates an overall better experience all involved.
BSL / Deaf awareness training sessions
Give your team the confidence they need to communicate with colleagues/peers and customers who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
Why
Deaf awareness sessions aim to increase staff awareness of Deaf issues, people and culture, emphasising positive aspects of Deafness, encouraging social inclusion and raising awareness that supports those who are Deaf.
Improve your communication skills and understand how to make communication accessible.
What we do
Just Sign provides you with a Deaf BSL presenter who will work alongside a BSL/English interpreter to offer you either a 2-hour taster session or a half day/full day session.
We offer bespoke training courses that can be tailored to match your specific communication needs.
Benefit
Your team feel confident in communicating with Deaf BSL users. Therefore, having an increased understanding of the barriers faced on a daily basis by the Deaf community. This allows your team to work more effectively with Deaf BSL users.
This will also result in your Deaf BSL using colleagues and customers feeling you have taken steps towards an inclusive work environment.
Need a Notetaker
Electronic notetakers (ENT) produce a set of notes for people who can’t take their own because they are either lipreading or watching a sign language interpreter. ENT’s can be used within an education or work environment, eg. Meetings, training courses, lectures seminars etc.
ENT’s produce a summary of what is being said, this is not a full verbatim, word for word account, of what’s being said.
Need Access to Work
If you are Deaf or have a Deaf member of staff they can benefit from a Government scheme called Access to Work (ATW). An assessment for eligibility to ATW would be carried out and a grant would be awarded to help pay for any communication support, eg. BSL/English Interpreter, Electronic notetaker etc.
Just Sign has many ATW clients and we can ensure the right support is in place throughout the working day such as support to make phone calls, respond to emails, attend meetings etc.
FAQs
BSL interpreters are trained to translate between British Sign Language (BSL) and spoken or written English in a variety of domains. Interpreters will facilitate communication between Deaf and hearing participants, and work to ensure that everyone understands and can fully participate in the conversation. BSL interpreters are registered with an appropriate registration body. Just Sign interpreters are required to be registered with either Scottish Register of Language Professionals with the Deaf Community (SRLPDC) or National Registers of Communication Professionals with the Deaf and Deafblind Community (NRCPD). All interpreters are required to follow a code of professional conduct, and any information discussed during an interpreted conversation will be treated confidentially by the interpreter. BSL interpreters are expected to act in an impartial manner. It is not the role of an interpreter to offer advice or personal opinions, nor to advocate on behalf of a Deaf person.
Deaf BSL users prefer to use BSL as this is their first language. British Sign Language has a different grammatical structure and is linguistically different from English. Lip-reading is also not an appropriate method of communication as studies have shown that only around 20% to 30% of what is being said can be understood through lip-reading, with the remaining information having to be guessed based on context. Lip-reading is also only a one-way communication method, as the Deaf person may not be able to make themselves understood by the hearing person.
Interpreters will often book work weeks and even months in advance. In recent years, demand for BSL interpreters has increased dramatically, so it is recommended that you request an interpreter as far in advance as possible. Although we will always endeavour to secure interpreters for last-minute requests, we cannot guarantee provision as interpreters may have less availability at short notice. It is important to recognise that interpreters may choose not to work in specific domains, which further limits availability for booking interpreters.
There are several options to get in touch with us and arrange an interpreter. If you would like to speak to our team directly, please call our office on 0345 646 0446. Alternatively, click on the Enquire button at the top of the page, which will take you to a Contact form on our website to request an interpreter. In this form you will be asked to provide details about your appointment/event, including date, time, duration, and details of what the event is about, as well as your contact information. Please be aware that submitting this form is only a request for us to begin the process of securing an interpreter. It does not guarantee that an interpreter has been booked.
Once we have an interpreter secured for the time and date you have requested, we will send an email confirming the booking. If we are unable to secure an interpreter, we will contact you to offer alternative times or dates where an interpreter has indicated that they have availability, if these are suitable to you.
Please contact office@justsign.co.uk immediately to advise of any changes. This may incur a cancellation fee as per our Terms & Conditions, which are detailed within our confirmation letter.
Still have questions?
Check out our FAQ page for all our FAQs
Contact us
We'd love to hear from you
1 Haypark Business Centre
Marchmont Avenue
Polmont
FK2 0NZ