Deaf patient receives wrong jab after sign-language gap, ombudsman finds
A deaf patient was given a Covid vaccine instead of a flu jab because no British Sign Language interpreter was provided; staff misinterpreted the patient’s request and obtained consent via her grandmother, despite the patient’s early-stage dementia. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman urged apologies and awarded £450 in compensation, noting accessibility gaps in NHS and social care communications and calling for better reasonable adjustments. The report also highlighted improvements at some trusts, and stressed the need for accessible formats and interpreters across services.
