Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her department is taking to provide more British Sign Language interpreters in emergency care settings.

The Government is committed to ensuring that Deaf people who use British Sign Language (BSL) can access health services safely and without avoidable barriers.

In June 2026, the Government announced plans to significantly increase the number of interpreters for deafblind people through the funding of interpreter competency sessions.

Under the Equality Act 2010, National Health Service organisations must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, including providing appropriate communication support where required.

NHS organisations are also expected to comply with the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which requires providers to identify and meet patients' information and communication needs, including those of people who use BSL. NHS England is working to support implementation of the AIS with awareness raising, communication and staff engagement.

NHS England is also rolling out the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag, which will enable health and care services to record and share information about support patients may require when accessing care.