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Name: Rebecca Walls Email: rebeccawalls@nhs.net
Publication Date: May 2025
Review Date: May 2028
The service provides assessment and specific interventions for Deaf people who are experiencing mental health issues. It consists of a Clinical Nurse Specialist who works alongside mental health teams in Rotherham, Doncaster, Sheffield and Barnsley. The team predominantly work with British Sign Language (BSL) users but may also be asked to be involved with people who do not sign but have complex communication needs. They are not interpreters but are fluent in BSL.
The role of the team is to assess mental health with an understanding of Deaf culture. The client’s communication may be unusual which could be over attributed to deafness or language deprivation. However, it could be as a result of a person’s mental health. The service will work to determine this to prevent misdiagnosis or no diagnosis at all. A poor mental state examination and risk assessment can lead to ineffective treatment and management. This could have potential fatal consequences for the Deaf service user in terms of the risk he/she presents to themselves and/or
others.
Once assessed, mental health interventions will be developed in a format that is meaningful and accessible to each service user. Beyond clinical assessment and management, the service includes educating, advising and supporting other mainstream professionals.
Referrals into this service are made to the local mental health team (include details that the patient is deaf and a request that they are seen by the Deaf mental health team):
· Referrals Sheffield via: Telephone 0114 226 3636
· For advice and further information contact Rebecca Walls on 07770 828452 or rebeccawalls@nhs.net.
More information and resources can be found at:
· https://www.rdash.nhs.uk/services/deaf-people-mental-health/
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