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South Yorkshire Service for Deaf People with Mental Health Needs
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About the service
Pleaset note This service is delivered working in partnership with Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust
(RDaSH) and Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust (SHSC).
About one in four hearing people are likely to have a mental health problem. For Deaf and hard of hearing people this figure is higher. This means that if you are Deaf and have mental health problems, you are not the only one, even though it might feel that way. You may feel worse because the staff who help you are likely to be hearing, and you may have difficulty understanding each other.
You can get help
There are a lot of different mental health services in South Yorkshire. Most people will go to primary care (their GP) first. Most GP surgeries can offer help for mental health problems, or will refer you to specialist mental health services.
The South Yorkshire Service for Deaf People with Mental Health Needs is part of the specialist mental health services. These are for people with more serious mental health problems. We work with mental health teams to support the care and treatment for Deaf people. We also work with Deaf and hearing carers to support them in looking after their relatives with mental health problems.
Who we are
The team includes a clinical nurse specialist and care navigator in mental health and Deafness. All members of the team can sign in British Sign Language (BSL) and have experience of working with Deaf people who experience mental health problems.
What we do
We work with mental health teams, social services and voluntary organisations to support Deaf people with mental health problems. We will also help with assessments from a Deaf perspective to enable your needs to be met.
We will help you to do things in your life which help keep you physically and mentally healthy. These things may include:
- Being aware of the things in your life that make you feel good and making some positive changes
- Exercise or sport
- A healthy diet
- Having friends
- Talking to others about how you’re feeling, not just when things are bad
- Asking for support if you need it.
Looking after your mental health is to do with every part of your life. Different things work for different people. We can try and help you to decide what’s best for you.
We will support you by promoting your Deaf identity, to help you feel better about yourself and to live and work as a valued member of the Deaf and wider communities.
If we are working with a non-signing professional, we will ask them to book an interpreter for communication.
Staff you may meet
- A care navigator provides advice and support to individuals their families or carers during their care. They often make home visits and support hospital discharges. Care navigators can also signpost and refer individuals to the appropriate services or help arrange care based on the individual’s needs.
- The NHS employs a wide range of clinical staff, it wouldn’t be possible to list them all on this website! All our clinical staff are skilled, dedicated professionals who adhere to high standards of training and work-place practice.
- We have a range of specialist advisors working in our Trust – they give advice on a wide range of different things, depending on what service they work in. So it could be, for example, mental health, stopping smoking, healthy eating or diabetes.
- Telephonists (also known as switchboard operators) are employed throughout the health service. They may work on a busy switchboard in a hospital or the Trust headquarters. Like receptionists, they are an important first point of contact for patients and their families and are a vital link between a caller and the person who can help.
- Therapy is a broad term and can range from occupational therapists to behavioural therapists. Our therapists are trained in their specialist area and type of therapy to make sure we can offer the very best care.
Useful links
Referrals accepted from:
GPs, Local authority staff, Patients(self-referral), Voluntary services