Physical & Sensory Disability JSNA

What needs to be done and why?

Strategic Issue 1

What needs to be done

Improve access to information and services by improving structure and addressing barriers to communication.
Work with our local sensory support organisations to improve accessibility and to monitor and co-develop our sensory and Deaf support plans. Work to improve access to information and communication support in health and care services including compliance with the Accessible Information Standard.
North Tees & Hartlepool Hospital will undertake an audit in respect of access arrangements with the potential to implement VRS into NT&H NHS Trust. There will be a joint BCF bid with NTH and HBC to improve access to Urgent Care and Outpatients.
There is an ongoing agreement to spot purchase specialist deaf support via Hi-VIS UK.
There is a corporate EDI strategy in development as well as a new website and intranet.
The new HBC website will consider the use of SignLive for VRS and VRI (Linked to BCF funds). Work to add Signapse to the Hartlepool Now website.
There have already been two successful grant applications to improve public information.
All adult social care teams to be issued with mobiles they can monitor.

Why

The Joint Sensory Support Plan met with a wide range of local people living with sensory loss, with Deaf BSL users and parent-carers. Local people have said that having sensory loss / being Deaf in Hartlepool means:

Facing challenges to mobility, access to information and services; experience many barriers to communication.
Information is often not accessible: small text, no audio / audio description, no British Sign Language (BSL) version – English is not the first language of BSL users.
Parent-carers struggle to get local information or help on sensory loss / Deaf; feel isolated and ignored.
Services don’t know how to communicate; few BSL courses, no Deaf awareness and communication skills training, how to hire a communication professional.

The Accessible Information Standard looks to ensure that people with a disability, impairment or sensory loss receive information in formats they can understand and are supported to communicate effectively.

Strategic Issue 2

What needs to be done

Improve awareness of sensory loss and physical disability within the community to ensure inclusivity and reduce the risk of loneliness in individuals with sensory and/or physical disability.
Establish a sensory support coalition of public and VCSE organisations to work together for long term change. A commissioned review of accessibility by audit and governance and work with internal EDI groups to raise the profile.
Work to develop the sensory and Deaf awareness, skills and knowledge of health and care services workforce and the wider community.
Staff training should be undertaken to improve awareness. Hi-VIS UK to submit a proposal to deliver further Level 5 DeafBlind awareness training to staff. There will be BSL Level 1 training to staff which will also be available as E-Learning.

Why

There is little awareness of sensory loss or of being a Deaf person / BSL. One major impact is loneliness.
Relying on taxis to travel around the town in the evening as there are no buses means keeping in touch with others becomes unaffordable and limits social and leisure activities.

The Accessible Information Standard advises staff training is a key part of implementation, including raising awareness of sensory impairments and their impact on access to care.

This follows projects like Sense’s Enjoy Life campaign.

Strategic Issue 3

What needs to be done

Work to improve and ensure equitable access to leisure and fitness facilities in the Borough.
Work to ensure accessibility to the new ‘Highlight’ development and available services within this.

Why

No sensory loss or Deaf awareness makes leisure / fitness provision inaccessible. This includes background noise which makes listening hard.