Fund more British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters in the emergency services

Fund more BSL interpreting services to ensure they continue throughout emergencies from start until finish. As it stands interpretation from BSL 999 ends when emergency services is dispatched, but there is often no interpreter during the emergency.

We want to ensure deaf people have equal access to emergency services without communication barriers and ensure the Equality Act 2010 and BSL Act 2022 are upheld.

Research has shown that many deaf people are dying young or have complex healthcare due to barriers. We want to prevent healthcare inequalities among the deaf community.

The Government recognises the importance of effective communication during emergencies and is committed to ensuring that Deaf people who use British Sign Language (BSL) can access health and care services safely, effectively and without avoidable barriers.

Under the Equality Act 2010, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not placed at a disadvantage when accessing services. The British Sign Language Act 2022 also recognises BSL as a language of England, Wales and Scotland.

We want disabled people's access to, and experience of, healthcare services to be equitable, effective and responsive to their needs. The Government has also supported work to improve communication support for people with sensory impairments. In July 2026, the Government announced funding to support the assessment of specialist interpreters working with the Deafblind community. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/support-for-the-deafblind-community-grows-with-new-funding-to-assess-specialist-interpreters-back-by-the-uk-government

NHS organisations are expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard, which sets out how they should identify and meet the information and communication needs of people with a disability, impairment or sensory loss, including people who use BSL. NHS England published a revised Accessible Information Standard on 30 June 2025 and is supporting implementation through awareness raising, communication and engagement activities. The Standard is embedded within commissioning, contracting and Care Quality Commission inspection processes, helping to ensure that communication needs are identified, recorded and reviewed so that appropriate support can be provided.

People who are Deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired can access emergency assistance through services such as 999BSL, which allows users to contact 999 through a qualified BSL interpreter, and through the emergency SMS service. Ambulance services can also use video relay technology to support communication with patients during assessments and treatment.

The Government expects NHS organisations to consider accessibility requirements as part of the delivery of their services. Ambulance services are required to comply with the Accessible Information Standard, helping to ensure that patients’ communication needs are identified and accommodated. NHS England is also rolling out the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag, which will help health and care services record and share information about the support individuals may need when accessing care. Under a new information standard, all publicly funded health and social care providers must be able to share, read and update this information by 30 September 2026.

Responsibility for commissioning health services rests with local integrated care boards, which are responsible for assessing and meeting the needs of their populations, including the provision of appropriate communication support for Deaf patients.

There is no dedicated national funding stream for BSL interpreters in emergency services and there are no plans to introduce one. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their local populations, while NHS provider organisations are responsible for delivering services, including ensuring people receive the communication support they need to access care.

More broadly, the provision of communication support during emergency incidents is a matter for individual emergency service organisations, which are responsible for ensuring they meet their statutory obligations under the Equality Act 2010. Fire and rescue authorities are best placed to determine the arrangements needed to meet the needs of their local communities, including Deaf people and BSL users. In policing, Chief Constables are operationally independent and are responsible for ensuring that their forces are able to communicate effectively with all members of the public, including those who use British Sign Language. The National Police Language Services team oversees the procurement and provision of language and interpretation services for police forces across the UK.

The Government expects emergency services to consider accessibility requirements as part of the delivery of their services. The Government remains committed to improving the accessibility of health and care services and will continue to work with NHS England, service providers and stakeholders to support better experiences and outcomes for Deaf people and BSL users.

Department of Health and Social Care

This is a revised response. The Petitions Committee requested a response which more directly addressed the request of the petition. You can find the original response on the petition page (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/754013)