- Aim: Drive the Department of Health (DH) action plan to ensure the standard 18-week waiting time target from referral to assessment for a hearing aid is met and consistent with RNID’s vision for a locally accessible service.
- Impact: DH has introduced a six-week target from referral to assessment for a hearing aid and through our campaigning and lobbying work, the average time people have to wait for an assessment has fallen dramatically with most areas meeting the six-week target.
However, this still leaves many people waiting to have their hearing aid fitted. An 18-week target from referral to fitting is due to be in place for December 2008 and we continue to work to ensure quality of the service is maintained and that the 18-week target is met.
- Aim: Ensure older people take action and check their hearing by promoting the health benefits that hearing aids can bring. Enable one million extra people to be fitted with hearing aids within five years.
- Impact: We recruited Miss England, who is profoundly deaf in her right ear, to launch RNID's ‘Ear of the Year’ awards, encouraging people to look after their hearing.
To date, more than 375,000 people have checked their hearing by calling our telephone hearing check.
We generated more than 48 million media opportunities to see the hearing check number and campaign messages.
- Aim: Ensure that abolition of the Hearing Aid Council does not lead to a drop in either service quality or trading standards for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Impact: The Hearing Aid Council is due to be abolished in April 2009. We are working with the professional body to develop a clear code of conduct for hearing aid dispensers and a complaints process to strengthen private patients' opportunity for redress.
- Aim: Improve the effectiveness of audiology services by securing three new contracts by March 2008 to deliver audiology support services and provide volunteers to support hearing aid wearers.
- Impact: We have secured three new audiology support services in the last 12 months, carrying out simple maintenance, support and signposting. In Milton Keynes and on the Isle of Wight these services are funded by Primary Care Trusts. In the Royal Borough of Kingston we have developed a service in partnership with local statutory agencies including Age Concern and other voluntary groups.
As well as helping to create capacity in audiology departments, our services enable clients to live independently, reducing the need for more complex care. We are continuing to develop our coverage and will start two further new services in south and west London during 2008/9.
Hearing aids
Joan Graham called RNID's telephone hearing check and got a pair of digital hearing aids, which she says "have given me my life back".
Until her retirement in 2003, Joan worked in a factory. Although she didn't realise it at the time, her hearing caused problems at work.
"People had to speak slowly and clearly for me to hear, and they had to face me. It made me feel embarrassed. I became shyer as a result."
Joan's hearing loss also affected important social occasions. "My great niece's christening was a bit of an ordeal. I couldn't hear what the vicar was saying when he was naming Chantelle. I felt left out.
"I definitely wouldn't have done anything about my hearing if it hadn't been for RNID's telephone hearing check. I used to say people don't speak clearly enough but it wasn't that, it was my hearing."
Now she has hearing aids, Joan says: "I'm more confident now, I don't mind being around strangers because I can hear what they're saying. Hearing aids have given me my life back, and my independence as well."
We can only do our valuable work with your support. Get involved.
Did you know...
200 tonnes
this is how much RNID has reduced its CO2 emissions.