Contact SignHealth
Main Office
Text 078600 33214
Email info@signhealth.org.uk
Call 020 3947 2600
SignHealth (Registered address)
CAN Mezzanine Ltd
7-14 Great Dover Street
London
SE1 4YR
Therapy Team
Domestic Abuse Team
Advocacy Team
Text 07984 439473
advocacy@signhealth.org.uk
Call 07966 976747
Complaints
To make a complaint about SignHealth or any of our services, please use the online form on this page and select ‘Complaints’ from the dropdown list. You can also send a complaint as a BSL video. See our complaints procedure for more information about the process.
Contact Form
For The Media
SignHealth is a Deaf-led charity with expertise in issues related to access and health. Our services, advocates and outreach teams are based across England and Wales.
FAQs
SignHealth provides self-care and mental health awareness workshops delivered in British Sign Language anywhere in England. To book a workshop at your local deaf club or for a community group please contact communications@signhealth.org.uk.
SignHealth’s domestic abuse service provides workshops in schools, training for social work professionals working with Deaf clients, and healthy relationship workshops for Deaf people.
Does SignHealth offer deaf awareness or sign language courses?
SignHealth does not currently offer Deaf Awareness Training or BSL courses, though we do strongly encourage it! Here is a list of excellent organisations that can help you find the right training for your team delivered by Deaf trainers online or in person.
- Signature
- WealdBSL
- Greater Manchester Mental Health
- RNID
- National Deaf Children’s Society
- Or worth asking your local Deaf club or colleges
Does SignHealth offer accessible training for deaf supported living professionals?
SignHealth does have some training modules for deaf staff in care settings. If interested, please contact Paul Scott at pscott@signhealth.org.uk to learn more.
Does SignHealth offer support groups for deaf carers?
No but this is a great idea! Please let us know if you find one so that we can help promote the group to others, email communications@signhealth.org.uk.
All NHS Trusts in the UK have contracted language service providers. If you work in an NHS Trust or deliver services on their behalf, contact your NHS Trust Interpreting Team to request the appropriate communication support (BSL interpreters, lip-speakers, deafblind communicators, etc.).
SignHealth does not provide BSL interpreters or translators. We suggest searching the NRCPD register for an interpreter in your area if you need someone to simultaneously interpret English/BSL in a meeting, appointment, event, etc. Or search for an BSL interpreting agency in your area.
The NRCPD register also has a list of Sign Language Translators, who are qualified to translate written English into a BSL video, such as a script, leaflet, letter, etc. There are also a number of companies who specialise in translation projects and can advise on the process and manage the project from start to finish, just search online for ‘British Sign Language Translation Services’.
Please recognise that sign language interpreters and translators are highly skilled roles that provide necessary access to services and information for Deaf people. You must ensure that all health appointments or information translations are carried out by a professional who is registered with the NRCPD.
SignHealth is a national charity, but since 2020 we have become a remote organisation with no head office space. This means all of our staff either work from home, in a residential service or in the community.
Our postal address is: CAN Mezzanine Ltd. 7-14 Great Dover Street, London SE1 47R
Read more about our residential services
SignHealth’s therapy service is delivered primarily through video calls, so we are able to support Deaf people living anywhere in England and Wales.
Our Domestic Abuse Service is currently in the process of expanding nationally. Please contact our team and we will do our best to support clients anywhere in England.
SignHealth staff, who are not part of a social care team, generally work from home and tend to meet regularly with their teams at locations in Manchester, London and Birmingham. This means there is a lot of flexibility in our recruitment, you can work for SignHealth from anywhere in the UK!
It is the responsibility of your GP or any NHS service to give you an option to contact the service in an accessible way. According to the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), only providing a phone number to a deaf patient is not acceptable.
- Try checking their website to see if they provide alternative contact options
- Many GP surgeries have an online contact form
- If you have an urgent medical issue you can contact NHS 111, either the online form or through the NHS 111 – British Sign Language Service
- Contact your local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
- Contact your local HealthWatch or in a BSL Video Call
Once you make contact with your GP, hospital or clinic, ask for your patient file to be updated to include the information:
- That you are deaf
- Your communication preferences (such as a BSL interpreter present at appointments)
- How you prefer to be contacted (email, text, letter, etc.).
- Then ask for the details for how you can contact their service in the future.
If you can, please take the time to make a complaint. If a formal complaint is not logged in their system, many services will not understand the need for change. It is an unfair burden on your time but together we can work towards a future with no barriers.
Please check our BSL Health Video Library or search for the word in the search box on the top right of our website.
Your GP or clinic must provide you with information in an accessible format. Find out more about your rights to accessible information from the NHS.
The communications team at SignHealth are also happy to partner with other charities or the NHS to help produce more health information videos in BSL. To explore this option please contact us at communications@signhealth.org.uk
I need mental health support
Have you explained how you’re feeling to your GP? That’s the best place to start.
There are self-help video guides on our website for many common mental health , including anxiety, depression, anger, sleep issues, grief, eating disorders and more. Take some time to search the BSL Health Library for resources that might help you learn more about mental health conditions and tips for taking care of yourself.
The Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD) offer TalkMore, which includes a chat service or wellbeing groups.
Finally, if you want therapy from SignHealth, please use our self-referral form. Here’s a short how-to guide explaining how to complete it.
Does SignHealth offer counselling sessions?
Our team can in some cases provide certain types of counselling, but funding from the NHS is approved through the old Individual Funding Requests (IFR) route. Please use the referral form for therapy and add that you are interested in counselling. Your needs will be assessed through the referral process and we can identify the treatment that is best for you.
I am looking for mental health support for a Deaf family member
We encourage the Deaf person to make contact with their GP or to self-refer to our therapy service. See our How-To-Guide. Here is the online self-refer form. Then check out our blog (BSL/English) about concern for the mental health of family members.
How do I refer my patient or client for therapy with SignHealth?
Use our online form to refer a patient or client to NHS Therapies with SignHealth. We are the only NHS therapy service for Deaf people with anxiety and depression.
