ITV Anglia News visited Cambridgeshire Deaf Association’s office in Huntingdon this week to find out more about our call for deaf people to be included in the government’s conversations on social care reform.

The report follows our press release on 3 August, in which we welcomed Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s commitment to cross-party talks on the future of social care, while warning that any reforms must put accessible communication at their heart.

The report featured Amelia, who is profoundly deaf. She told ITV that as well as being unable to hear, she often doesn’t feel heard. Amelia described having relied on others throughout her life, and said communication barriers remain a real problem today – particularly when she is trying to access social care for herself and her children, including situations where she has been left unable to follow what’s happening around her without the right support in place.

Amelia is supported by Rachael, who oversees advocacy and care at CDA. She told ITV:

“The inequality that we see offered for people who are deaf, or people who have hearing loss, is still really present. It can be as simple as being inaccessible to contact – there’s always a phone number to call for social care, but a lot of deaf people don’t have access to the phone, or they have to rely on somebody else, which can lead to third-party issues.”

Rachael added that CDA’s team has supported around 60 deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing people from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough with advocacy support in the social care system so far this year – and that around half of them experience communication barriers, which is why improving understanding needs to be a priority.

CDA’s advocacy coordinator Emma, who was born deaf and grew up in the deaf community, welcomed the Prime Minister’s commitment but said it needs to translate into real change:

“I think it’s fantastic that Andy Burnham is keen, but he needs to recognise that a lot of deaf people have different needs, and he needs to think about how to meet those individual needs, not just put us all in one box and say that’s sorted. In the long run it’s going to be more cost-effective as well, because you see a lot of deaf people who are isolated – their mental health is suffering, and that’s because the support isn’t there.”

ITV also put Amelia’s story to Cambridgeshire County Council. A spokesperson said no one should be made to feel isolated because of a disability and that removing barriers is a priority, adding that social workers receive sensory services awareness training and have access to interpreting services to support communication.

Our Chief Executive, Andrew Palmer, set out CDA’s position in the original press release:

“No one should receive poorer care simply because they are deaf, yet that’s still the reality for far too many people. When communication breaks down, everything else becomes harder.”

We’re grateful to ITV Anglia, and to Amelia, Rachael and Emma, for helping share this message with a wider audience.

Read our original press release: https://cambsdeaf.org/2026/08/03/press-release-social-care-reforms-must-end-the-barriers-facing-deaf-people/