Health and Wellbeing

We know person-centred healthcare involves providing access to and delivery of services that are equitable. It is important to ensure that BSL users have the relevant information and services they need to make informed choices on their health.

Our long-term goal:

BSL users will have access to the information and services they need to live active, healthy lives, and to make informed choices at every stage of their lives.

By 2029

Scottish Ministers will

  • Action 24

    Develop health as a priority theme within this plan’s Implementation Advisory Group, to explore barriers around access and develop solutions to address them.

  • Action 25

    Ensure that co-design on the development and implementation of the National Care Service involves BSL users.

  • Action 26

    Work with our partners to implement and measure our core mental health standards. This will include a focus on ensuring information and services are accessible to all individuals, including those who use BSL.

  • Action 27

    In line with the Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan, we will improve equality, inclusion and diversity training for the mental health and wellbeing workforce, including to promote existing BSL training to the workforce.

  • Action 28

    Promote and support the learning of BSL as a second language for hard of hearing, deafened people and people at risk of a second sensory loss. People at risk of a secondary sensory loss should be better equipped with tools for them to communicate. Learning BSL as a second language provides an opportunity for this.

  • Action 29

    Capture the learning from projects such as Deafblind Scotland’s BSL Café Project, funded by the Scottish Government, that supports people who are at risk
    of a second sensory loss to acquire further communication skills by teaching them BSL.

  • Action 30

    Build on the work set out within the social isolation and loneliness strategy, Recovering our Connections 2023-26, to embed actions related to BSL users and link with existing work at a local and national level to address issues of social isolation and loneliness, including access to services and projects.