Did you know that statistically one in every six of your patients is likely to have hearing loss?
Hearing loss can make it difficult for people to manage other health conditions, creating the potential for unnecessary complications and the need for more complex support.
In fact over one in four patients with hearing loss have difficulty getting an appointment with their GP because of communication difficulties. Even when those with hearing loss do receive a diagnosis, more than a third are left unclear after visiting their GP.
With this in mind it’s important to ensure that someone’s hearing loss doesn’t prevent them looking after their health. With the right support you can help people to not only look after their health but also prevent the occurrence of more acute issues at a later date. In 2004 it was estimated that a lack of deaf awareness was costing the NHS £20m a year.
The patient-facing leaflet below provides practical advice on how to access health services if you are deaf or have hearing loss.