Meet Holly – Our Deaf Community Outreach Worker
“I’ve spoken to Deaf people in Newham to understand more about their access to health services and to collect feedback. The Deaf community often faces barriers, like no interpreter turning up, or staff not having Deaf awareness. I’m Deaf myself, so I understand these challenges – and I feel very frustrated by them.”
Holly is using this feedback to influence change. She’s presenting what she’s heard to the Health and Wellbeing Board and Newham Care Partnership, helping raise awareness about the need for better access.
One key issue raised by the community was a lack of Deaf awareness at GP surgeries. In response, Holly worked with Newham Training Hub to introduce Deaf awareness training for non-clinical GP staff – starting in May.
She has also been working with Deafroots, a local Deaf charity, to run health workshops covering topics like bowel cancer screening, winter vaccines, and more. In March, she co-hosted the Deaf Healthcare Experience event with North East London NHS, where 25 Deaf residents shared their experiences.
“A lot of the feedback was about A&E access, which people found especially frustrating. I’m now looking into how emergency staff are trained, what interpreter options are in place, and whether services like Video Relay Service (VRS) are available.”
If you are Deaf and live in Newham, and want to give feedback or ask a question about healthcare access, you can contact Holly at Holly.Woodfield@healthwatchnewham.co.uk.
