24 April 2009
Local residents who are hearing-impaired are likely to find communicating with staff at Epsom, Sutton and St Helier hospitals easier from now on.
That's because the Disability Information Centre Epsom (DICE) - a service based at Epsom Hospital - has recently purchased three portable hearing loops for patients to use when visiting the hospitals.
Patients who are hard of hearing can borrow the loops and use them when talking to doctors, nurses and other staff, either in appointments or on wards. The loops, which cost £100 each, help hearing aid users to hear more clearly by directing speech and reducing annoying background noise. In hospitals, they help improve privacy because people don't have to talk too loudly.
Pippa Hart is the Director of Nursing for the Trust. She said: "We are committed to improving the way we communicate with people who are hearing-impaired. Being sick and having to spend time in hospital isn't nice, and it can be even harder for people who have difficulty hearing.
"These new portable loops will help hearing aid users so that they can speak confidentially and understand what is being said to them, wherever they are in our hospitals. Patients can borrow the hearing loops by asking for them from a receptionist, nurse or doctor when they arrive for their appointments. The loops can even be used cordlessly, allowing patients to carry one around with them.
"We can also contact qualified British Sign Language (BSL) signers for deaf people when they have to come in to hospital, if necessary at short notice, such as when people come to Accident and Emergency (A&E)."
In addition to the new equipment, the Trust runs training courses for staff which are given by specially-trained tutors who are partially deaf or partially sighted themselves.
The courses include deaf awareness, a British Sign Language 'Start to sign' course and Makaton, which is a technique for people who need to communicate with adults and children who find communication difficult, such as those with learning disabilities.
DICE is a service for people with a disability, their relatives, friends and carers, as well as health professionals. The service, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this month, deals with over 1,700 enquiries a year.
