Charity wants more tailored NHS hearing loss plans drawn up
A charity has called for urgent action to improve services for people who are deaf or suffer from hearing loss.
A charity has called for urgent action to improve services for people who are deaf or suffer from hearing loss.
Action on Hearing Loss Scotland said more must be done to ensure NHS audiology services meet the individual needs of patients.
An estimated 945,000 people in Scotland are deaf or have hearing loss with the number set to increase with an ageing population.
A survey by the charity found that 85% of the 932 patients who responded said they did not have a plan in place to manage their individual hearing needs.
The plans are required under Scotland's national quality standards for audiology and should be updated and agreed on an ongoing basis.
Delia Henry, the charity's director, said: We believe that our survey findings indicates that it is time to raise the standards for audiology patients across Scotland so that they are supported to make fully-informed decisions about how they manage their hearing loss in everyday life.
It's very concerning that so many people have told us they don't have an individual management plan, which is vital to ensure tailored solutions are provided to meet an individual's hearing requirements.
The needs of an elderly person with hearing loss living in sheltered housing could be substantially different to those of a younger person whose daily life may involve numerous meetings and telephone conversations, and it's important that everyone can get the support which enables them to live the life they choose.
To drive the service improvements that are needed, we want NHS audiology departments to start ensuring their performances against the national audiology standards are independently monitored and patients are informed of the outcomes every year.''