People with disabilities are being denied vital information and support because public services are failing to communicate in accessible ways, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has warned.
Disabled people are being left confused, distressed and financially worse off because public services are failing to meet their communication needs, according to a new report from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).
The Ombudsman’s report, Spotlight on accessible communication: your stories, your rights, highlights cases where people were not given information in formats they could access, including audio documents and British Sign Language (BSL).
The PHSO said effective communication was essential to safe public services and warned that failures could prevent people from making informed decisions about their healthcare, finances and employment.
Rebecca Hilsenrath KC (Hon), chief executive at the PHSO, said: ‘Good communication is fundamental to safe and effective public services. Yet for too many people, public services are falling short.
‘At worst, failures in communication can make services unsafe and cause serious harm if people are unable to understand information and advocate for themselves.’
One case involved Samantha, a Deaf woman whose first language is British Sign Language (BSL). She attended a GP surgery for a pre-booked flu vaccination but was given a Covid-19 vaccination instead.
There was no BSL interpreter present and staff attempted to communicate with her through her grandmother. Samantha was also not shown the NHS vaccination information video in BSL.
She later experienced unexpected side effects and said: ‘Sadly, this experience has had a profound impact on my emotional wellbeing, and I have completely lost trust and confidence in having any type of injection.’
The Ombudsman emphasised that public services have a duty to provide information in formats that meet people’s needs and should involve service users in improving their systems.
It is encouraging people who experience communication problems to complain to the organisation involved. Those who remain unhappy with the response can take their complaint to the Ombudsman.
Hilsenrath said: ‘Public services have a duty to communicate clearly in a range of formats to meet the needs of people who use their services. This must be consistently built into service delivery. Organisations must listen to people who use their services and make improvements so that services are inclusive, safe and effective for everyone.’
The full report can be read here.
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