Miss-Delectable
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Deaf people can communicate better at Sutton, Epsom and St Helier hospitals (From Your Local Guardian)
People who are hearing-impaired will find communicating with staff at Epsom, Sutton and St Helier hospitals easier from now on.
The Disability Information Centre Epsom (DICE) – a service based at Epsom Hospital – has bought 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.
Pippa Hart, the director of nursing for the trust, said: “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 ”
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.
People who are hearing-impaired will find communicating with staff at Epsom, Sutton and St Helier hospitals easier from now on.
The Disability Information Centre Epsom (DICE) – a service based at Epsom Hospital – has bought 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.
Pippa Hart, the director of nursing for the trust, said: “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 ”
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.