Experiences of audiology services in Northumberland
What people told us about NHS audiology services in Northumberland
We asked local people to tell us about their experiences using NHS audiology services in the region, including what’s working well and what needs to improve. We also wanted to understand any barriers to using the service and how this impacted people, and the reasons some people had made the move to private audiology services.
Many praised the kind and helpful staff, and said that getting hearing aids or repairs to hearing aids had made a big difference to their quality of life and wellbeing. People also appreciated the convenience of the postal service for batteries and parts.
However, most of the feedback we had was negative. People told us they were unhappy with recent changes to the service, especially the lack of local provision and the need to travel, in some cases very long distances, to access help and support. Many mentioned age, inability to travel and health concerns as being additional barriers. This is unsurprising given most audiology users are likely to be older adults. Many mentioned long waiting times to receive support and care and some told us about the negative impact that had on their wellbeing.
Confusion about the audiology service is also evident including people not having a full understanding of what clinics are available and what services are provided in those clinics, as well as a lack of awareness of changes to the service and how to access help at various stages of hearing loss or receive follow on care.
Some communities were more dissatisfied with the changes including those in North Northumberland and Morpeth, those aged 80 plus and those with sight loss and physical mobility issues. We are also aware that hearing loss is more likely to negatively impact certain groups of people, such as those with dementia or with sight loss.
We’ll be sharing these findings to help improve access and support across the county. Read more about this work online or download at the link below.
Hearing what matters – experiences of audiology services in Northumberland
Share your experiences of audiology services, or any other NHS and social care service you have used recently.
