Tutor led BSL (British Sign Language) training
21 MARCH 2025
York & Scarborough Hospitals Charity Education Bursary has funded a British Sign Language (BSL) course to the York Musculoskeletal (MSK) team.
Leah North, Student Physio said ‘We hope even knowing the basics of BSL communication will help both clinicians and admin staff to improve patient experience, as well as help our own development. Patients may feel more understood, and we hope to help them feel more comfortable about communication to provide the best possible care. BSL is extremely important, and we think everyone should know more about it!’.
Pictured left to right are team members Liz, Sam, Sarah-Jade (BSL Tutor), Leah and George.
Communication is one of the most significant barriers for deaf individuals in health care settings. Many deaf people rely on BSL as their primary language.
The advantages of using BSL in healthcare are improved communication which can result in accurate diagnosis, effective treatment plans and smoother interaction with service users.
Over 18 million adults in the UK are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus and the British Deaf Association estimates that the total number of people in the UK who use BSL is estimated to be 151,000.
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