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Disability Discrimination

Posted By Lennymore

"Disability Discrimination"

About: Lagan Valley Hospital / Outpatients

(as a relative),

Today I took my father to an Ophthalmology appointment in Lagan Valley Hospital.  We are both face covering exempt (medical reasons) and to prevent any aggravation, we wore our Hidden Disabilities lanyard which clearly states we are exempt from face coverings.  By law, we do not have to display, explain or prove our disabilities.  

Having attended just a few weeks previously to the same unit under the same conditions where we met no discrimination, I believed today would be the same.  

All went smoothly with pleasant staff until we got to the empty waiting room.  The nurse who we had initially presented to came round to ask us to wear a visor.  I lifted my exemption lanyard and explained this.  They again asked us to wear a visor and again I had to explain that a visor is a face covering and we are medically exempt.  They then said it was for the staff's protection, thereby implying that my father and I were walking contaminants who would contaminate everything around us.  This was insulting, degrading and humiliating, especially given that there were 4 staff members all standing around huddled together with zero social distancing between them!

Whilst the Ophthalmologist themselves was pleasant and efficient and the other staff very pleasant and approachable, staff need to be fully aware that face covering exemption does not just cover a mask but covers all types of face coverings and that they must respect hidden disabilities the same way that obvious disabilities are respected.  After today's experience, my father and I feel scared about going back to Lagan Valley and we felt very threatened and bullied.  I hope we never have to return there.

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Responses

Response from Conor Campbell, Senior Manager, Assurance and Improvement, South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust 4 years ago
Conor Campbell
Senior Manager, Assurance and Improvement,
South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust

Assurance and improvement

Submitted on 22/12/2020 at 14:28
Published on Care Opinion at 14:28

picture of Conor Campbell

Dear Lennymore

Thank you for sharing your story.

I appreciate that you and your father have come to our hospital with face-covering exemption and have not expected to be asked to wear a visor.

Our NI Department of Health guidance states that a visor does not qualify as a face-covering and is regarded as an item to be worn in addition to a face-covering. Face-coverings cover mouth and nose securely whilst being breathable and fastened with earloops. I invite you to discuss your experience directly with me in order that I get the full picture to support my onward discussions with colleagues.

The Trust has recently been inspected in depth (Oct 2020) by the regional regulator RQIA (Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority) regarding our current Covid-19 / Infection Prevention and Control arrangements which resulted in a very positive inspection outcome across 8 inspected areas of care (four of which were at Lagan Valley Hospital). The Trust strives to provide all with a safe Covid-19 journey in tandem with our range of existing programmes aimed at provision of a high-quality and continually-improving experience for all.

I will inform appropriate leadership colleagues of the experience that you have shared in order to review practice, information and communications and ensure that harmonised implementation is in place to support our staff to support our patients and relatives with a safe and positive experience.

Please call me to discuss directly if you wish to do so on 07715801634. I would be confident that staff in no way wish to discrimnate against any individual exempt from wearing a face-covering. Direct discussion of your experience may help me better to look at what has happened and optimise arrangements going forward with colleagues. I would also wish to reassure you through direct discussion that safety, quality improvement and positive experience are at the heart of what we do as a Trust and that threatening / bullying behaviour is not what you should expect on any visit to South Eastern HSC Trust. If you wish to do so, I am keen to discuss your experience directly in order to address as best I can.

Best wishes

Conor

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by Lennymore (a relative)

Thank you for your response. In my opinion, it is unacceptable nonsense that a visor (plastic worn from head to chin covering a human being's face) is not considered a face covering. The face covering you describe is a face mask. However, I note that you reference that a face mask covers your nose and mouth - is this not what a visor also does? If so, surely a visor would therefore undisputedly and undeniably be a face covering. I note you state it should be worn "in addition" to a face mask, therefore since my father and I are exempt from face coverings and face masks, we should never ever have been asked to wear a visor. Which covers our face, nose and mouth in plastic.

Your information about the RQIA is irrelevant to what I have written. Infection control and cleanliness in the LVH is not the issue. Treating myself and my father like walking contaminants because we are exempt from face covering wearing is the issue. We are not. We are human beings. My father was the patient and patient care should be of the utmost priority and that means respecting ALL patients with ALL obvious and hidden disabilities. Not one of your staff would ask someone in a wheelchair to get up and walk to prove they can't walk so why would your staff then ask someone to wear a face covering when they are exempt from doing so!!

I would again draw your attention to the fact that the staff present were very far from adhering to the Trust's guidance about social distancing and in fact, the nurse who came to us and asked us to wear a visor was less than 1 metre away from me.

Please ensure that all staff fully respect and do not challenge anyone who is exempt from wearing a face covering - face mask or visor.

Response from Conor Campbell, Senior Manager, Assurance and Improvement, South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust 4 years ago
Conor Campbell
Senior Manager, Assurance and Improvement,
South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust

Assurance and improvement

Submitted on 29/12/2020 at 15:57
Published on Care Opinion at 15:57

picture of Conor Campbell

Dear Lennymore

Thank you for your response message.

I have shared your story to our Infection Prevention and Control nursing leadership and Infection Prevention and Control consultant for consideration and response. I have asked them to consider if any individual exempt from wearing a face-covering may expect to be asked to wear a visor anywhere in the Trust - and if it is reasonable and correct to ask any exempt individual to do so.

In respect of staff social distancing, the correct wearing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) provides the protection required and meets this need. Monitoring arrangements are in place on an ongoing basis to support correction application of standards.

I will post a response upon receipt of advice from Infection Prevention and Control colleagues.

It is a Trust priority that all service users and relatives are treated equally and respectfully. I would like to look at this with you once we have received our Infection Prevention and Control advice.

Please feel free to discuss directly with me on 07715801634 at any time. An interactive conversation may be helpful and we can post discussion content on Care Opinion after talking.

Best wishes

Conor

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by Lennymore (a relative)

Dear Conor

I refer to your response in which you state "In respect of staff social distancing, the correct wearing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) provides the protection required and meets this need".

This clearly means that staff wearing PPE have the required protection from those exempt from wearing a face covering (mask or visor) and therefore have nothing to fear from those exempt from wearing a face covering (mask or visor). So why on earth would staff who are protected as required then try and force us to wear a face covering? This makes no sense!

Please ensure that all staff fully respect all patients who have hidden disabilities and are exempt from face covering wearing (masks and visors). After all, their PPE gives them the protection required, as you have stated above.

With thanks.

*Please note that my previous response was amended by the Care Opinion team and what was published is not fully accurate of what I wrote*

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