Supporting Deaf residents to access health services with confidence
Since October 2024, our Deaf Community Outreach Worker, Holly Woodfield, has been building strong links with Deaf residents in Newham to better understand their experiences when accessing local health services.
As a Deaf person herself, Holly brings lived experience, insight and determination to challenge the barriers facing the Deaf community every day.
“I’ve spoken to Deaf people in Newham to understand more about their access to health services and to collect feedback. The Deaf community often faces barriers, like no interpreter turning up, or staff not having Deaf awareness. I’m Deaf myself, so I understand these challenges – and I feel very frustrated by them.” – Holly Woodfield
What we focus on
This work is shaped directly by the priorities raised by Deaf residents. Current areas of focus include:
- Access to BSL interpreters in GP, hospital and community health settings
- Improving Deaf awareness among frontline healthcare and administrative staff
- Making emergency care and A&E communication more accessible
- Reducing isolation by improving access to Deaf-friendly health information, events and services
Community engagement and system influence
The Deaf Community Outreach Worker leads and contributes to a wide range of engagement activity to ensure Deaf voices are heard at both community and system levels, including:
- Deaf Roots community workshops to gather lived experiences of accessing health services
- Raising Deaf access issues at the Health and Wellbeing Board (January 2025)
- Co-hosting the NEL NHS Deaf Health Engagement Event (March 2025), bringing together Deaf residents from across North East London
Common themes raised by residents include poor Deaf awareness, unreliable interpreter provision, inaccessible GP systems, and significant challenges accessing A&E.
“A lot of the feedback was about A&E access, which people found especially frustrating. I’m now looking into how emergency staff are trained, what interpreter options are in place, and whether services like Video Relay Service (VRS) are available.” – Holly Woodfield
Ongoing impact
Holly now chairs the Deaf Health Advisory Board, which has met quarterly since July 2025. She continues to work with NHS partners to expand Deaf awareness training, explore VRS access within GP booking systems, and advocate for long-term, system-wide change.
This work helps ensure Deaf residents are not only heard, but actively shape how health services in Newham are designed and delivered
Get involved
If you are a Deaf or Hard of Hearing resident in Newham and would like to share your experiences, take part in future workshops, or receive updates about this work, you can get in touch:
