COMPLAINTS relating to people with hearing loss have been heard by staff at Redland Hospital, leading to a campaign to provide better services to those who are hard of hearing.
The Be Heard campaign is being rolled-out at the hospital, encouraging staff to cater for the needs of people who are hard of hearing and customers to voice their needs.
Redland Hospital’s executive director of allied health Gail Gordon said the hospital had set up a steering committee, which included five people with hearing loss, in response to the complaints.
She said the hospital was inspired by a similar project at Princess Alexandra Hospital.
The committee is engaging with staff and doing audits in sections of the hospital to see what areas could be improved.
Committee member Shirley Edwards, who is secretary of the Cochlear Implant Club and Advisory Association (CICADA Queensland), said people who had hearing impairments often required different types of assistance.
Only some people can lip-read and not everyone understands sign language.
“Hearing loss is so diverse,” she said.
“This initiative has been a great big step forward. It is something that has needed to be done and addressed for a long, long time.”
Another committee member, Jill Lindley, said, as consumers, they were very excited that the hospital had been addressing these issues.
She said sometimes writing information down, instead of speaking, could help a person who was hard of hearing.
Her husband, Peter Lindley, said another simple measure was to turn chairs in a waiting area around so that people who had a hearing impairment could see when they were being called.
During a medical consultation, not at Redland Hospital, Mr Lindley had asked a specialist to talk slowly and articulate well, but this was not done.
“I had no idea of the outcome of those consultations,” he said.
“If my wife hadn’t been present, I wouldn’t have had a clue about what was said.”
Ms Gordon said it was important that people who went to the hospital felt empowered enough to ask for the assistance they needed.
The hospital is continuing work on the campaign, putting up posters, displaying information and raising awareness about hearing impairment.
“Our aim is to have a champion in every work area to ensure the needs of people with a hearing impairment are met and support the rest of the team,” Ms Gordon said.
Staff members who are hard of hearing have also shared their stories to create an understanding of the issues among their colleagues.
