The pilot, introduced by the Scottish Government following engagement with the deaf community, allows British Sign Language (BSL) users to connect with an interpreter via their own smartphone. This enables face-to-face communication with pharmacy staff regarding minor illnesses, such as sore throats or coughs, without the need for pre-booking.
The Contact Scotland BSL Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) pilot will run for six months. Public Health Minister Maree Todd highlighted the importance of the Pharmacy First service, stating, "Now deaf BSL users can also walk into any pharmacy and receive the same fast, independent healthcare advice as everyone else."
Minister Todd added, "This is removing barriers and ensuring BSL users are not left waiting or without support when they need it. Scotland is the first part of the UK to have a fully funded free-to-use service which has been shaped by the views of BSL users themselves and this pilot is the next step in expanding access."
“"We are pleased to see that this initiative seeks to enhance the experience of people who use British Sign Language. We expect that pharmacy teams will have even greater confidence that they are understanding and meeting the needs of the people in their surrounding areas."
“"We are delighted to see the VRI pilot now live, marking a significant milestone for the Contact Scotland BSL service. This is an important step towards improving access to pharmacy services for deaf and deafblind BSL users across Scotland. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have on accessibility."
The Contact Scotland BSL service, launched in 2016, already provides a free interpreting video relay service for telephone calls. This VRI pilot builds upon that foundation. There is no cost to pharmacies, as users access the service via their own devices by scanning a QR code and entering the pharmacy name.
