A teenager was forced to tell his deaf mother that her father might die because NHS staff did not provide a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, a report has found. Alan Graham, 75, who was born deaf, was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham in June 2021 after a fall and died two weeks after being readmitted in September that year.
During his 11 weeks in hospital, professional interpreters were provided only three times, according to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). Staff instead repeatedly asked Mr Graham's teenage grandchildren to translate medical information and details about his prognosis, despite the legal duty on hospitals to provide BSL interpreters.
On one occasion, his 16-year-old grandson Connor Petty was asked to tell his mother, Jennifer Graham-Petty, that Mr Graham may not survive the night and that CPR should not be attempted. His 12-year-old sister Mia was also used to relay information about their grandfather's care. Ms Graham-Petty, who is also deaf, said the experience was "totally unacceptable and very upsetting for all of us", adding that the children lacked the professional skill to interpret medical jargon.
The ombudsman found that University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust had failed to follow national guidance and repeatedly used children to interpret critical information. The trust was ordered to apologise, pay the grandchildren £900 each and Ms Graham-Petty £750, and to produce an action plan to prevent recurrence. The PHSO also raised concerns with NHS England and the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID).
In response, a trust spokesperson said: "We offer our sincere apologies to Jennifer, Connor and Mia for their experience... We recognise that we did not get things right and understand the impact this had on them." Victoria Boelman, director of insight at RNID, said the case was "unjust and unacceptable" and highlighted that communication support for deaf people in healthcare is often "woefully lacking".
