Deaf people still struggling, nurse tells inquest

A nurse involved in the care of a deaf TikTok star has told an inquest into her death there is a "huge shortage" of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters and she still sees people struggling.

Carmen Jones, a nurse involved in Imogen Nunn's care, said "it would be very difficult" for a deaf person to communicate the crisis they were in without an interpreter.

Ms Nunn, known as Immy, died in Brighton, East Sussex, on New Year's Day 2023 after taking a poisonous substance she had ordered online.

The 25-year-old, who was born deaf, raised awareness of hearing and mental health issues on her social media accounts, which attracted more than 780,000 followers.

On Tuesday, the inquest at West Sussex Coroner's Court in Horsham heard from Ms Jones, a nurse for the deaf adult community team (DACT) at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

Communicating through a BSL interpreter, she said: "Even in my current job I still struggle to get interpreters for my role in my work and because I've seen deaf patients requiring access to mental health teams, I see that they are also struggling."

Just days before Ms Nunn's death, she received a check-in visit at her home from care professionals after sending a text message saying she had had an increase in suicidal thoughts.

No BSL interpreter was brought to the meeting as there was not enough time to arrange it, the court was told in March.

Consultant psychiatrist Simon Baker, who visited Ms Nunn on 29 December 2022 at her home, previously told the court he was "surprised" how well the meeting had gone.

The inquest into Ms Nunn's death was previously adjourned for two months because there were no BSL interpreters available to translate for two members of DACT.

"It's based around language, how can anyone understand another person if they don't share a language?" Ms Jones added.

Senior coroner Penelope Schofield's prevention of future deaths report regarding Ms Nunn's care also highlighted the lack of availability of BSL interpreters to support deaf patients being treated with mental health difficulties.

She said: "This was particularly apparent when mental health staff were seeking an interpreter at short notice for a patient who was in crisis.

"The lack of interpreters available has meant that urgent assessments are being carried out with no interpreters present."

The inquest continues on Wednesday.

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