Teen had to tell deaf mum her dad might die

Hospital staff asked a teenage boy to tell his deaf mother that her father might die, according to the findings of an ombudsman.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman said University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Trust failed to follow national guidance, by repeatedly using children to interpret critical medical information for their deaf family members.

Alan Graham, who was born deaf and used British Sign Language (BSL) as his first language, died in September 2021 after being treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

His daughter, Jennifer Petty, who is also deaf, complained about her father's care. The NHS trust apologised adding "we did not get things right".

The 52-year-old also raised the issue of hospital staff using her children as interpreters.

The investigation by the ombudsman found the concerns she raised caused significant distress and affected the family's ability to grieve.

During an 11-week period in hospital, professional BSL interpreters were provided on only three occasions, the ombudsman found.

Instead staff regularly relied on Petty's son and daughter, who was 12, to translate complex medical information, including details about the 75-year-old's condition.

The 52-year-old said the situation was deeply upsetting for the whole family and it was "totally unacceptable" that her children were placed in the position of delivering bad news about their grandfather's condition.

"My children just wanted to visit their grandad and be there for him as family members but they were constantly being asked to translate by the staff," she said.

"Having to deliver the bad news about my dad's prognosis was extremely upsetting for all of us."

The ombudsman said the trust did not consistently make reasonable adjustments for a deaf patient and his family, despite clear requirements set out in national guidance.

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Source: BBC News, 11 February 2026

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• Top picks: 11 resources to support people with hearing loss or deafness