SignHealth chosen as BBC Lifeline charity

SignHealth has been selected as the BBC Lifeline charity of the month and recently featured on the programme on BBC One.

The episode aired on Sunday, 25 January, and focused on the work of SignHealth, a charity dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of all deaf people. It highlighted the ongoing barriers deaf people face when trying to access health services and the ways in which SignHealth works to break down those barriers.

BBC Lifeline is a long-running programme that gives charities across the UK a platform to share information about their work and reach a wider audience. SignHealth’s episode explored three areas of its services: Psychological Therapies, Domestic Abuse support, and Children and Young People’s Services.

In the programme, three brave deaf people shared their experiences of using SignHealth’s services. Jacob, who is 15, spoke about his involvement with SignHealth’s Young People’s Advisory Board (YAB), describing how important it was to meet other deaf young people who understood his experiences.

Jacob said:

“The YAB was the first group of friends I had who understood me because they were deaf as well. The charity has empowered me. Without them, I wouldn’t be as confident.”

Lucindha and Jackie* (whose name was changed to protect her identity) also shared their stories of being supported by the charity.

The programme was the first Lifeline to air on BBC One with British Sign Language (BSL). The team at SignHealth said –

“Working with the BBC on this project has been an interesting experience. As the largest employer of BSL users in the UK, we knew we wanted the programme to be aired live with BSL, and we worked closely with the production team to make this happen.

The BBC team was supportive of this decision, and while they were a fully hearing production team, we worked together to adapt the research and filming process to ensure it was accessible for the contributors and our deaf staff. We created a final product we were really proud of!”

The charity hopes the BBC programme will raise awareness among the wider public and policymakers, and encourage greater support for deaf-led services. In 2026, the charity will celebrate 40 years of working to improve the health and wellbeing of deaf people in the UK.

The Associate Director of Engagement, Philippa Wynne, shared;

“We recognise that none of our achievements over the past 40 years would have been possible without the unwavering support of our community and the dedication of our hard‑working staff. Their commitment has shaped every milestone and helped us reach thousands of people in need.

“With demand for support continuing to rise, we rely on public generosity to sustain and expand our vital work. Every contribution enables us to reach more deaf individuals, deliver essential services, and ensure that no one faces their challenges alone.”

Watch SignHealth’s Lifeline appeal!

When? Anytime now (English and BSL)

Presenter? Rachel Shenton

Where? See it on iPlayer

Note to editor:

SignHealth is a deaf-led charity working for a future where there are no barriers to good health and wellbeing for deaf people. Our passionate teams offer specialist services, including psychological therapy, domestic abuse support, social care and a children and young people programme. We have media-trained deaf people who use British Sign Language to communicate ready to be interviewed to support this statement, as well as access to qualified BSL interpreters. For more information about SignHealth, visit signhealth.org.uk and follow us on Instagram, and Facebook at: @SignHealth or LinkedIn