For the last five years the administration of BSMHD has been provided by UK Council on Deafness. This arrangement has helped the Society to develop into a powerful force in the field of mental health and deafness. The Trustees recently took the decision that the complexity of the activities of the Society were such that this arrangement would not be appropriate for the future. Therefore from 1 January 2009 the Society will maintain its own administative functions, under the continuing secretariat provided by Jonathan Isaac, the General Secretary. The postal address will continue to be at Westwood Park but please note the new telephone and email contact details, shown at the bottom of the page. We will continue to work closely with UK Council on Deafness on matters of relevance to the sector whilst developing our own independent identity. This transition has been made possible and necessary thanks to the success of the arrangement with UKCoD and we thank them for all the work they have done on our behalf over the last five years.

 
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Next BSMHD members meeting - Liverpool, 6 February 2009

 

The next BSMHD meeting will be held in Liverpool on 6 February 2009 at the Merseyside Society for Deaf People, Queens Drive, West Derby, Liverpool, L13 0DJ. The meeting will be an opportunity to meet staff from the Health Services and Deaf Organisations in the North West and to finalise the plans for the 2009 BSMHD Annual Conference. BSMHD Meetings are open to all members and are free to attend. If you would like to attend please contact Jonathan Isaac, [email protected] .

 
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The BSMHD Annual Report for the year ending 31 March 2009 has now been completed by the auditors and approved by the Board of Trustees. It is available by following the link on the About Us page. Members wishing to make comments or ask any questions about the report should please email them for the attention of the Board of Trustees to [email protected]

 
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BSMHD 2009 Annual Conference - Call for Papers

The next BSMHD Annual Conference will be held in London in May 2009. Abstracts of papers for consideration by the conference committee are requested on any subject relating to Mental Health and Deafness. The sub-themes for the break-out sessions at the conference are: Research in Mental Health and Deafness; International Services; Language issues; Primary Care; Professional Development; and Complex Problems. However if you are unsure if your paper fits into one of the sub-themes do please contact us to discuss. Presentations and workshops that include User Involvement are particularly encouraged.

The official languages for presentations will be English and British Sign Language. Simultaneous interpreting will be provided for all sessions between English and British Sign Language. Some sessions will also have a verbatim speech to text transcription service.

Abstracts (max 2 pages A4) must be submitted by email attachment in text (other formats, such as PowerPoint will not be considered) to [email protected] by 1 March 2009, please do not send PowerPoint presentations. The conference committee will select the most appropriate presentations and a decision will be made by 14 March 2009. Full papers will be required by 2 May 2009 to give time for the communication support team to prepare for the presentation.

There will also be a small exhibition attached to the conference, organisations interested in booking exhibition space please contact Jonathan Isaac, the conference organiser, at [email protected] .

 
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BSMHD launches new website: 'BSL Translations'

 

BSMHD has recently launched a new website to host BSL versions of documents and information of interest to the sector. It can be found at www.bsltranslations.org.uk . Suggestions for additional content are most welcome.

 
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BSMHD has been working with the Department of Health 'Improving Access to Psychological Therapies' team to ensure that deaf people's needs are considered in the development of services by the NHS. The Department of Health commissioning guidelines for PCTs biding to set up their IAPT service has now been published. BSMHD have been members of the IAPT BME SIG advising the writing of the report, 'Commissioning IAPT for the Whole Community Best Practice Guidance'. Extracts of the report relevant to deaf people are:

4.8 Non-English speaking people (including those who use British Sign Language as a first language) may not be able to communicate their needs effectively if an IAPT service lacks appropriate language skills, which could mean that proper and correct assessments may not be made.

5.9 Commissioners should, if possible, develop links with service providers with specialist cultural and linguistic knowledge, or, where none exists, have access to qualified translators and interpreter services that can be used for individuals who speak little or no English.

5.10 Language-appropriate services that enable the correct assessment of individuals in a supportive environment are essential to engage non-English speaking groups. Translated reading material about IAPT services will also raise awareness of the service and promote the use of interpreters and translators within the service. It is also essential to consider translating self-help materials and computer software into languages other than English.

6.1 It is an important principle that the IAPT workforce should reflect and be representative of the local community. The capacity and capability of therapists must be appropriate for the people they will be seeing.

6.2 Commissioners should understand their local population and demographic profile in order to commission an IAPT service with the appropriate number, skill mix and make-up of therapists.

6.14 All therapists should also be familiar with the wider healthcare community and be able to make referrals to other specialist services as and when required. Good links to other services in the locality will also increase referrals into the IAPT service. Therapists must have good knowledge of other care pathways so that their patients each receive a holistic care package.

6.16 Commissioners should be satisfied that service providers are taking steps to ensure that the therapy workforce is culturally aware and sensitive to the specific needs of individuals from different cultures and backgrounds, and to the needs of those with different religions and beliefs. They should ensure that all therapists have the skills and capabilities to work with such cultural diversity. Therapists should also be aware that, in some cases, engagement may only be possible through a referral to another therapist who is of the same background, culture or faith as the patient.

6.17 Some individuals wanting to access an IAPT service will not have English as a first language (e.g. those who use sign language, or those who do not understand or speak English) or may face literacy problems. Commissioners will want to ensure that these language barriers can be overcome so that therapists can provide an effective and appropriate service. This is particularly important for the provision of written materials for self-help and computerised CBT that will be made available through low-intensity interventions. As a last resort, a translator may be required and commissioners may want to ensure that training is provided on working with translators so that a therapeutic relationship can be maintained and quality of care is not lost.

6.18 The provision of translators and associated training for translators and therapists will require adequate funding. It is not normally acceptable for family members to fulfil a translator’s role in psychological therapies.

6.19 Recruiting low- and high-intensity therapists from minority groups should be encouraged. In some instances, it might be beneficial to encourage translators to train as therapists, if they have a suitable background. Specialist training for therapists (e.g. British Sign Language courses) should also be considered and funded. This may need to be led by a single PCT with a strategic health authority training commissioner.

A pdf copy of the report and further details of our IAPT work can be found on the IAPT page.

 
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BSMHD are working with various organisations and individuals to develop BSL versions of assessment tools such as CORE and the Beck Depression Inventory. Please contact us if you wish to contribute or find out more about this work.

 
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The Deafness and Applied Psychology Special Interest Group (Deaf SIG) is a professional body of d/Deaf and hearing UK psychologists specialising in working with d/Deaf people. Comprised mostly of clinical psychologists working in the NHS and research psychologists working in applied fields of mental health and deafness, educational psychologists and counselling psychologists are also welcome to join. Most members are Chartered members of the British Psychological Society. Details of their meetings can be found by following the link at the bottom of the BSMHD homepage.

 
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The Government want to know what patients think of the NHS. To help with this they do surveys of lots of people. The last GP Patient Survey showed there is dissatisfaction among deaf and deafblind people. The results said that Deaf people were seeing their GP more, and were often unhappy about their access, e.g. no interpreter, etc. SignHealth has been encouraging the Department of Help to work with deaf and deafblind people to make improvements. As part of that work, they have asked SignHealth to gather suggestions from deaf people. The suggestions should be simple steps GPs can make to improve access for deaf people, e.g. booking appointments by SMS/mobile phone message. It is important that as many people take part as possible. The more suggestions the better. It could be that your GP already does something well, which makes access easier. In which case, take part in the consultation so others can benefit. The consultation is just about primary care; which means your GP practice and community health servis– not hospitals. If you have ever sat in the waiting room and thought, “I wish they would...” then this is your chance to let them know. You can take part in the consultation by going to www.signhealth.org.uk and following the link. It is completely anonymous and only takes a few minutes.

 
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ESMHD SIG Meeting - Rome, April 2009

 

The European Society for Mental Health and Deafness (esmhd.org) announces that together with the Roberto Wirth Fund (www.robertowirthfund.net) an Italian non-profit organisation, will organize the next Special Interest Group (SIG) Meeting in Rome. The Special Interest Group Meeting will take place in Rome from 15th to 19th of April of 2009. The aim of the Special Interest Group meeting of professionals working in clinical, medical, psychological or socially oriented settings for deaf children or adults and their families is an interactive process of sharing knowledge and discussions in depth. Scientific work and case histories are presented by all the participants. Further details will be available shortly.

 
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St George Healthcare Group have established innovative rehabilitation services for deaf people with forensic and complex needs at St Mary's Hospital, Warrington, over the past two years. This was an interim arrangement until a site was identified for deaf services. All Saints Hospital, Oldham, has now been developed as a deaf only hospital, to provide 20 beds configured as 6 low secure beds, 6 open beds, 4 open bedsits and 4 self contained flats. St Mary's Hospital, Warrington, will continue to provide medium secure services for deaf patients. Senior staff will work across both sites with the majority of staff transferring to All Saints Hospital, Oldham. For further details go to www.stgeorgehealthcaregroup.co.uk

 
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The Broad Group

 

The Broad Group, established in 1988, has offered specialist support to young deaf adults with additional disabilities for the past 20 years. The Broad Group offer a transitional placement service in which adults will have their own studio apartments in which to experience and practice independent living. A staff member will be on site 24 hours a day to assist and enable the residents with their individual needs, and an education programme will be put in place to teach life skills on site, alongside accessing local colleges. The aim of the project is to enable and educate residents to live independently with the aim to move into their own flat within 12 - 24 months with the option of ongoing support from outreach staff. For further information contact Matt Dowling, the project manager, on [email protected]

 
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A report on mental health services for deaf people in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, prepared by Margaret du Feu, is available. Click here to download the report

 
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