Faults Found in Council's Provision for Deaf People
Failed to provide man with sign language interpreter
Care home staff had no training in BSL
December 24, 2025
Hammersmith & Fulham Council has apologised after failing to provide adequate support for a deaf man receiving care and requiring British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters.
The borough also agreed to pay the man’s granddaughter £450 and review its processes regarding the provision of interpreters with BSL. The Local Government Ombudsman found several faults with the service provided by the council, including that staff at a care home, referred to as Care Home B, were not trained in BSL contrary to the man’s care requirements.
A spokesperson for Hammersmith and Fulham Council said they “wholeheartedly” apologise to the family and that they are working to ensure the same issues do not arise again.
In an extensive report produced by the Ombudsman it is detailed how the man, named only as Mr Y, “had several health conditions, was profoundly deaf and used sign language to communicate”.
His daughter, Ms Z, was his main carer. Miss X, his granddaughter, is a qualified BSL interpreter. In March 2024, Mr Y was discharged from hospital following which he received a package of care at home.
The following month Hammersmith and Fulham Council carried out an occupational therapist’s assessment at Mr Y’s home and provided him with a care plan. The plan noted that his first language was BSL and that he required a BSL interpreter, though due to difficulties finding carers with such skills Ms Z was asked to help them communicate with Mr Y.
He then spent a period of respite care at Care Home A before returning home in mid-May. Again, the council arranged a package of care to support him. That month Mr Y’s GP recommended he move to a permanent care home though Care Home A only had beds for respite care.
In September, a second care home, Care Home B, told the council it had met with Mr Y’s family and that they were happy for him to move there as long as the BSL outreach support was provided. This was approved by the council in October, with Mr Y relocating later that month.
Despite a care plan being provided by the council specifying staff should learn basic BSL skills there were communication issues during his stay. According to the Ombudsman’s report, on November 8 “the council called Care Home B. The care home told the council it had some difficulty communicating with Mr Y. It said it had received no training in BSL or deaf awareness”.
Later on in the report it is stated: “The council carried out a DoLS (Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards) assessment visit to Mr Y on 15 November 2024. Mr Y’s social worker contacted the DoLS team on the same day. They said the DoLS team did not arrange for a BSL interpreter to be present at the visit, and the meeting was conducted using a pen and paper. The social worker said this was highly inappropriate and that Mr Y required a BSL interpreter to be present for all communication with him.”
A review of the care plan was subsequently carried out in which, the Ombudsman wrote, the relationship between Mr Y and staff at Care Home B was described as strained “because they were unable to communicate with him”.
In December 2024 Mr Y was transferred back to Care Home A shortly after which he was admitted to hospital, where he died. During this period Miss X had complained to the council on various points regarding her grandfather’s care.
While acknowledging some of the council’s explanations, the Ombudsman did find occasions where fault had occurred.
These included the lack of a BSL interpreter for Mr Y during the visit by the DoLS team, the lack of action taken to ensure his home carers had BSL skills, and the “stress and uncertainty” caused to Miss X over Mr Y’s support at Care Home B.
A series of actions were agreed with the council, including apologising to Miss X, making a payment to her of £450 and reviewing its processes regarding the provision of BSL interpreters.
A Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesperson said, “We wholeheartedly apologise to the family. Finding specialist British Sign Language and deaf relay interpreters for care homes can be very difficult and we’re working to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter