ALLIANCE responds to BSA’s consultation on Guiding Principles of Deaf Awareness in Healthcare Settings

The British Society of Audiology (BSA) issued new draft Practice Guidance on Deaf Awareness for public consultation.

The British Society of Audiology (BSA) promotes good practice in audiology, including the publication of evidence-based guidance documents. On 15 April 2025, the BSA opened a public consultation on a draft of new practice guidance called, “Guiding Principles of Deaf Awareness in Healthcare Settings”.

The draft practice guidance was developed by the BSA Adult Rehabilitation Interest Group (ARIG) Steering Committee together with a multi-stakeholder group. The primary aim of the guidance is to inform good practice in Deaf Awareness for all healthcare professionals working in any part of the UK.

The ALLIANCE welcomed the opportunity to respond to the BSA’s consultation. Our recommendations reflect on the lived experience of people with Deafness and Deafblindness accessing healthcare services in Scotland, informed by our members and a range of ALLIANCE research. These recommendations have been divided into the following themes:

• Scope
• Language
• The inclusion of all four UK nations
• Accessibility.

A key recommendation is to extend the scope of the BSA’s practice guidance to include people who are Deafblind, recognising that Deafblindness is part of the spectrum of Deafness. The ALLIANCE strongly recommends that the practice guidance include references to all formal definitions of Deafblindness across the UK, as well as links to all Deafblind organisations, particularly those in devolved nations.

The practice guidance should also include reference to the high prevalence of age-related dual sensory loss (hearing and sight) in older people so that healthcare professionals can anticipate sensory care needs even when sensory differences have not been formally identified.

Read the ALLIANCE’s full response to the BSA’s consultation on Guiding Principles of Deaf Awareness in Healthcare Settings below.

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