A deaf woman was administered the incorrect vaccine because her doctor's surgery did not provide a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, a report from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) states. The patient, identified as Samantha, had booked a flu jab but was given a Covid vaccine.
The PHSO report indicates that staff at the surgery failed to show Samantha a BSL video that would have highlighted the error. Samantha stated that the experience had a "profound impact" on her.
The PHSO, which investigates complaints about UK government departments, public organisations, and the NHS in England, said that public services are legally required to support individuals with accessible communication needs. These needs may arise from disability, neurodivergence, or English not being a first language.
Following an investigation, the PHSO recommended the surgery apologise to Samantha and pay her £450. The surgery has since contracted a sign language interpreting company. NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board expressed regret over Samantha's experience and expects practices to make "reasonable adjustments to support effective communication."
The report also highlighted the case of Alan Graham, a deaf cancer patient at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust, where staff asked his teenage grandson to interpret for the family when an interpreter was unavailable. The trust has since apologised and introduced new measures to assist deaf patients.
NHS England described it as "completely unacceptable for those who are deaf or have visual loss to face barriers to accessing or understanding the healthcare they need." It added that it has recently refreshed its standards for providing safe and effective care for those with communication needs.