A new survey has been launched to explore how well residents who are deaf or hard of hearing are able to communicate with those providing health and care services on the Isle of Wight.
The survey, which is understood to be the first of its kind on the Island, has been commissioned by Healthwatch Isle of Wight following feedback from residents who identified the issue of communications as one they would like to see reviewed by the local health and social care watchdog. The survey aims to help those with hearing difficulties to have their say in shaping and improving health and care services on the Island.
Age UK Isle of Wight will be helping to administer the survey through its wide network of contacts and groups. Service Users of Action on Hearing Loss and Island Support Services will also be taking part, and Healthwatch IW will be using an interpreter to ensure those who use British Sign Language as their first language are able to share their views.
Action on Hearing Loss statistics show that there are more than 10 million people in the UK with some form of hearing loss, or one in six of the population. From the total figure, around 6.4 million are of retirement age (65+) and about 3.7 million are of working age (16 – 64).
Healthwatch Isle of Wight plays a key role in giving a voice to everyone within the Island community on health and social care issues. This survey aims to reach out to this key group to establish their experience of current practice, both good and bad and to help make recommendations to health and care providers about improvements that could be made to services.
The survey explores the ease with which those with hearing difficulties can access services and communicate their needs for example: how easy it is to book an appointment with their GP or dentist; arrange prescriptions; check in at the hospital, understand treatments and after-care or communicate with health and care professionals who visit them at home.
The survey, which launches today (3 June), will run until 27 June 2014 and is also available online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LFBCCV5 with paper copies available on request from Age UK IW at 147 High Street, Newport or Healthwatch offices at The Riverside Centre, Newport. The findings of the survey and a full report and recommendations will then be made to the relevant agencies by the end of September.
Sara Ellis, Healthwatch IW, Community Outreach and Engagement Officer said:
“We have had clear feedback that the way those with hearing difficulties are able to access and communicate with healthcare professionals and influence how healthcare is improved is an issue that Healthwatch needs to investigate.
“This survey is designed to find out the extent of any issues faced and hopefully provide the evidence on which we can work with health and care providers, to bring about any necessary improvements.”
Nik Attfield, Health and Wellbeing Manager for Age UK IW said:
“We recognise that communication can often be so much harder for someone with hearing loss or hearing difficulties and when that person needs care and support it becomes even more crucial that they feel able to discuss their concerns and seek the support they need.
“This survey aims to find out about the challenges they face so that we can work with those providing services to help overcome these and improve their experience of accessing health and care on the Island and we would encourage people to come forward and share their views.”
