British Academy of Audiology Heads of Service Day Hearing Aid Support Richard Crisp, Director of Local Engagement and Jemmalea Patel, Community Support Officer
WHO WE ARE Action on Hearing Loss is the new name for RNID. We re the charity working for a world where hearing loss doesn't limit or label people, where tinnitus is silenced and where people value and look after their hearing.
STRATEGIC AIMS Our vision is underpinned by the following strategic aims: Improve public health and prevent avoidable hearing loss Encourage early diagnosis and management Provide person-centred care, and respond to information and psychosocial needs Support communication needs, by providing timely access/signposting to lip reading classes and assistive technologies Promote inclusion and participation of people who are deaf or hard of hearing
OUR CAMPAIGNS Hearing Screening for Life Calling for a national hearing screening programme for people aged 65 Coalition campaign National Screening Committee consultation secured Lipreading Securing the long-term future of lipreading Improving access within the current system TV access Seeking to improve the quantity and quality of subtitles Also covers background noise and other access services Our Health in Your Hands Ensuring that BSL users have registered interpreters in healthcare appointments Coalition campaign Empowering deaf people
SOME KEY FIGURES Hearing loss affects over 10 million people in the UK By 2031 there will be more than 14.5 million people with hearing loss in the UK 6.2M will benefit from Hearing Aids 2.1M have Hearing Aids 0.8M have Tinnitus impacting Quality of Life Source: Hearing Matters 2011
IMPACT OF HEARING LOSS Among those with a hearing loss: 68% feel isolated 90% believe that hearing people don t realise how difficult being deaf can be 75% have problems coping in public places, on transport and when meeting new people 79% said people were impatient with them
OUR PATIENTS VIEW We recently heard from 90 audiology patients 64% would benefit from more support for their hearing loss following their audiology appointment 43% did not understand all the information they received from their GP s about their hearing condition and their hearing aid 80% feel they understood the information they received from audiology 53% said they would benefit from 1:1 support from someone who has experience of a hearing loss 46% want more emotional support 59% want more information about hearing loss in general 70% want more support on how to wear their hearing aids 59% want support on signposting to other services 57% want support on what happens next (along the audiology pathway)
LOCAL ENGAGEMENT Local Engagement team are part of the Services Group in Action on Hearing Loss Our team consists of 60 staff and over 240 volunteers working from 30 different locations in the UK We provide: 1. Support for Hearing Aid Wearers 2. Peer support 3. Information & outreach services We provide our services in local communities and often in partnership with other organisations including audiology Our primary aim is to provide services and information that enable people to remain independent and lead full lives in the community
WE DELIVER OUR SERVICES BY Community Support Officers (CSOs) and volunteers help people make the most of their hearing aids and manage their hearing aids effectively Visiting new hearing aid users and give support in coping with hearing loss and managing their hearing aids Undertaking basic hearing aid maintenance and repairs as well as provide new batteries Working through outreach work including drop-in sessions and home visits including Care Homes Signposting to complementary services that offer technology advice peer to peer support other rehabilitation support
GOOD QUALITY HEARING AID SUPPORT SHOULD Provide easily accessible drop in support clinics and home visits for hearing aid users unable to easily access acute services. Be part of well planned care pathway Ensure each hearing aid user sees a person with relevant skills, using the right equipment, in a suitable location Operate a no wait culture, where all stages of the patient s supportive care are delivered in a timeframe suitable to the patient s concerns, emotional and social needs; Offer patients a choice of location and appointment times, as close to their home as possible Support life-long care compatible with best outcomes for hearing aid users Provide regular feedback, advice and guidance to audiology services via telephone, email and face to face as to the care delivered within primary care Assess and refer hearing aid users who are not appropriate for treatment within the scope of the service to an acute setting
AND DIRECTLY BENEFIT AUDIOLOGY The service provides a cost effective community support network for hearing aid users Releases resource within Audiology services reducing the burden of support, allowing resources to be diverted to assessment and fitting of hearing aids The number of hearing aid repairs undertaken by the trust over the last two years (since the Hearing Aid Support project started) has remained flat. Prior to that growth was 8% p.a. It complements Good practice guidance (Transforming Adult Hearing Services for Patients with Hearing Difficulty, DoH, June 2007) Commissioning Adult Hearing Services A Good Practice Guide 2009
AND COMPLEMENT COMMISSIONING MODELS INCLUDING AQP BY Improving awareness amongst patients and GPs Delivering greater accessibility and integration Better signposting Bringing consistency in commissioning Linking statutory and charitable services to achieve far greater outcomes through high quality aftercare
Hear to Help Birmingham East and North Jemmalea Patel
HEAR TO HELP BIRMINGHAM EAST AND NORTH In partnership with Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust First community drop-in launched July 2011 12 Hear to Help community drop-ins established 8 Volunteers
Interventions HEAR TO HELP BIRMINGHAM EAST AND NORTH 1600 Hear to Help - Birmingham East and North 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 July 2011 - March 2012 April 2012 - March 2013 April 2013 - Present Interventions 237 1043 1404
HEAR TO HELP BIRMINGHAM EAST AND NORTH The service has given me confidence to wear my hearing aid It helps having support in my local area and saves me a trip to the hospital and car parking costs! I felt left out of conversations and withdrawn, since the drop-in has opened they have given me support to wear the hearing aid and I am now able to participate in conversations at our local club.
DEVELOPING GOOD PRACTICE Nursing Practice and Support Developing support packages for people in work or seeking employment Improving awareness of hearing loss in General and End of Life Care
ANY QUESTIONS?