The hospital, on Buller Street, Bury, provides a wide range of inpatient mental health services for men and women, including specialist services for deaf patients.
Clare Shard, the Head of BSL Interpreting and Translation at the Hospital, along with several colleagues, recently spent a day at the Ministry of Justice offices in Leeds. They created a film that portrays a ‘mock’ BSL-interpreted tribunal hearing. The film aims to improve access for deaf service users to the court system.
Clare was joined by her colleagues Dr Sodi Mann and Rob Lambert, who took part in the film, along with members of the Ministry of Justice staff and HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS).
HMCTS has recognised this work as a highly specialised piece of quality improvement that aims to enhance access for deaf service users to the tribunal hearing process through education and the promotion of good practices within the court system.
The film will be used to instruct BSL interpreters on the process of a Mental Health Tribunal hearing and provide guidance on their role, to enhance the experience of deaf patients who utilise BSL interpreters during their court hearing and to demonstrate best practices at hearings for deaf patients using BSL.
The mock hearing will appear authentic, featuring a panel that questions participants as in a real hearing.
Dr Mann provided expert advice during the Responsible Clinician’s questioning, while Clare facilitated communication among HMCTS staff, deaf relay interpreters, and the film crew.
HMCTS also coordinated four external communication professionals—two BSL interpreters and two interlanguage interpreters—to address the communication challenges faced in a Mental Health Tribunal meeting involving a deaf patient.
Beyond the film project, Clare and her colleagues have now been invited to contribute to the production of HMCTS information leaflets aimed at helping patients who are experiencing the court system.
Clare said: “I am proud to have been a part of this project over the past few months, offering advice on working with BSL interpreters.
“I would like to commend my colleagues for their incredible hard work in learning the script and participating in the role for several hours under hot lights and cameras. We can all take pride in being positive ambassadors for deaf patients.”
Clare has also been actively involved in another project at the hospital alongside her colleague, Tracie Redshaw.
Together, they recently produced and presented a training course for BSL Interpreters titled “An Introduction to Working in a Secure Mental Health and Deafness Setting.”
Clare explained: “The training is targeted at BSL Interpreters who were hesitant about working in unique settings.
“Currently, there’s a shortage of freelance interpreters available for deaf staff training at Cygnet. The course aimed to address interpreters’ concerns about working with service users facing challenging behaviours or cognitive issues.
“Six freelance interpreters attended, and all expressed interest in working with Cygnet, with two already in the onboarding process.
“One participant is now advocating for national expansion of the training.
“Interest from more BSL Interpreters has surged since the training, which ultimately enhances care for deaf service users. I’m thrilled with the success of this initial session and look forward to offering more training in future and improving the deaf service users’ experience in secure care.”
Feedback from participants has been positive, with comments including:
- “I can honestly say that this has been one of the best training sessions I have ever attended.”
- “The training provided a clear and comprehensive understanding of what would be expected of me as an interpreter working in a secure mental health unit. I left the session with a much clearer picture of the challenges, responsibilities, and dynamics of this setting.”
- “One of the key strengths of the session was the openness and honesty of the trainers in addressing concerns. I had initial apprehensions about working in mental health environments, but the trainers ensured that all of my concerns were thoroughly addressed. Their transparency helped ease my fears, particularly the worry that I would be unprepared for such a sensitive environment.”
- “I felt supported and confident that I could be successful in this role with the right preparation and awareness.”
- “I would definitely recommend this training, as it demystified the experience and provided a very clear explanation of what working in a secure unit would be like.”