Do you know your 5 Rights?
Are you D/deaf, blind, visually impaired, do you have a speech or language difficulty, or any other communication needs?
If so, did you know that the NHS is required to follow these 5 steps to help support you:
1. Ask if you have any communication needs
2. Record those needs on your health records
3. Ensure that those needs are easy to see on your records
4. Share those needs with other services if you are being referred
5. Make sure those needs are met as part of ALL your care.
This means that you can tell us what your communication needs are – and expect our full support in meeting them.
This includes getting help from staff with things like requesting an interpreter for your medical appointments (BSL or another language), translating a patient letter for you, or being able to request information in a format that meets your needs (such as braille, large print or easy read).
All NHS organisations across Cheshire and Merseyside have language and interpretation arrangements in place for supporting patients with communication needs to safely access care – so please just ask a member of your healthcare team for the help you need.
What if this doesn’t happen?
You have the right to complain.
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside’s Patient Experience Team on:
● Telephone: 0800 132 996
● Email: enquiries@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk
● Post: Patient Experience Team, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, No 1 Lakeside, 920 Centre Park Square, Warrington, WA1 1QY
You can also contact Deafness Resource Centre, who can also advocate your complaint with the NHS with you.
British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact us to make a complaint using a BSL video interpreter. This uses a service called InterpretersLive! provided by Sign Solutions. Further information about the service and how to access it is available on the InterpretersLive! website.
