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Other Audiology News
Applying the Lessons – Audiology Sites Share Their Learning Wider
Two audiology teams shared their success stories, improvements, key principles and pitfalls to avoid with a wider Physiological Diagnostics audience at the recent chief Scientific Officers Conference in London on the 22nd March. Opening a key workshop, staff from Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust introduced the ideas of direct access community services and one-stop clinics to an engaged audience who became willing to enter fervid discussions on ‘how can we transfer’ these principles to our own services. To view the presentations click HERE
Audiology Transition Workshop
An Audiology Transition Workshop was held in London on Thursday, 4 March 2010. The aim was to bring together the three national pilot sites undertaking work on transition from Children’s to Adults Hearing services. The sites attending were NHS Devon, East Lancashire NHS Trust, NHS Tower Hamlets (leading) & NHS City & Hackney. The workshop focus was to understand the issues for young adults undergoing this transfer, particularly trying to see this transition in terms of other aspects of the young person’s life. Guest speakers from the Teenage Cancer Trust and NHS Teen Healthcheck shared their experience and knowledge of engaging with young adults, to try and generate ideas for future work within Audiology services. The NDCS also shared information about how their current and future work may be able to link into this area. Click HERE to see the presentations from this workshop.
Hearing it Loud and Clear - Audiology Prototype Sites Share Their Achievements!
The third and final workshop for the audiology service improvement prototype sites was held in Birmingham on the 18th January 2011. An inspiring day, focusing on sharing the learning and successes of the six sites and celebrating their outstanding achievements, had Audiology teams, PCT representatives, RNID ambassadors and National counterparts left hungry for further communication.
With benefits of their improvements clearly identifiable, each team presented their changes made and data collected to prove their progress in providing increased quality and timely delivery of services to patients. All neatly evidencing the key messages from a thought provoking “Spread and Sustainability” presentation from Dr Janet Williamson, National Director, NHS Improvement and answering “Why would anyone want to do this?”
Lessons learned in setting up direct access tinnitus clinics, assessing and treating patients in the community, establishing clinics responsive to patients with complex hearing needs, successfully implementing one-stop assess and fit hearing loss consultations and audiologist led balance clinics were revealed, ensuring the collaborative knowledge will be harnessed into a forthcoming publication to disseminate from these prototypes to the wider NHS Audiology community.
Key members of the RNID shared how they are shaping their vision and strategy to deliver a “World where deafness or hearing loss do not limit or determine opportunity” with the launch of ‘Action on Hearing Loss’ delegates were stimulated (and challenged!) by the opportunities of working with the 3rd sector. Exploration of working through new partnership possibilities and across boundaries with charitable organisations will be key to delivering local audiology services in response to the governments’ intention towards “Any Willing Provider.”
An excellent opportunity for understanding the approaches taken across England and Scotland was provided by the much welcomed input of Angela Bonamy – Scotland’s policy Lead for Audiology Services. Further exploration for mutually beneficial learning possibilities will be taken up across the borders.
The afternoon session culminated with an interactive policy context session in which the teams were asked to identify 1) Their unique selling point; 2) Their winning principle; and 3) What will be the one thing they would do differently in delivering services of the future.
This was a day of forward thinking. Of meeting comparative hearts and minds. The ongoing challenge is to influence the peers and colleagues working tremendously hard across the whole NHS to deliver responsive audiology services that meet the patients need – right first time. Click HERE for presentations:
Shifting Gears – Smoothing The Transition from Children’s to Adults Hearing Services
The 26th January 2011 provided the opportunity to identify barriers to the transition programme, determine the needs of young people and consider the main issues and anxieties that children and young adults have regarding their continuation of care. Emotional, cultural and educational factors that may have an impact to a young person with communication frustrations were explored and a number of models to smooth the transition from paediatric to adult hearing services were examined – regardless of age and ‘professional expectation.’ A partnership approach is required to supporting children and their parents to ensure good emotional health to overcome any anxieties is fostered. This workshop provided a healthy environment to share key experiences with different models of transition service provision between Devon, East Lancashire and Tower Hamlets. Their pioneering work continues. Presentations from the day can be found here: Shifting Gears – Smoothing The Transition from Children’s to Adults Hearing Services. Presentations from the day can be found HERE
Latest newsletter from the Royal National Institute for the Deaf.
Audiology waits at an all time low..
Data published today by the Department of Health shows that the waiting times for patients with hearing difficulties to receive a digital hearing aid has reached an all time low. Click HERE to read more.
Please tell us your news and we will publicise it on this website. If you have news you would like to share please contact Victoria Towers on: victoria.towers@improvement.nhs.uk
If you would like to talk to someone about the national project or for further information please contact Fiona Thow on: fiona.thow@improvement.nhs.uk or phone 07920 845437