The Government is committed to ensuring that all people who have a mental health need, including those who are deaf or have a hearing impairment, are able to access appropriate support when they need it regardless of other physical health conditions. Commissioners are responsible for commissioning appropriate cultural and linguistic provisions when planning services for deaf people.<\/p>
Deaf patients are able to access mental health services based on a clinical assessment of need with the support and involvement of clinicians (including consultant psychiatrists and mental health nurses) with the skills and experience of working with deaf people with mental illness and who are able to communicate using British Sign Language (BSL) where needed.<\/p>
NHS England commissions specialised mental health services for children, young people and adults who are deaf or have a hearing impairment. These include inpatient and outreach services for children and young people and services for adults who require inpatient care, including care in secure mental health services.<\/p>
The Specialised Mental Health Clinical Reference Group provides advice and support to NHS England about improving commissioning, including through service specifications and quality schemes. NHS England has developed a specific Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme in 2019-20 for specialised deaf services aimed at introducing a standardised approach to the assessment and understanding of a patient\u2019s individual communication skills, which will improve the effectiveness of interactions with staff, care planning and delivery.<\/p>
The Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health has published guidance for commissioners of primary care mental health services for deaf people. This is for use by clinical commissioning groups, local authorities and service providers across primary and secondary care. The content is evidence based and incudes what is deemed to be best practice when commissioning mental health services for deaf people. The guide is available at the following link:<\/p>