- Aim: Increase public awareness of tinnitus and of the support available to manage the condition. Secure 100 million opportunities to see information and reach 130,000 people through a top-quality information service.
- Impact: We achieved more than 300 million media opportunities to see information about our tinnitus work.
Our website www.tuneouttinnitus.org.uk, launched in July 2007, has so far been visited by around 47,000 visitors. We also answered 3,497 Tinnitus Helpline enquiries and distributed 4,000 copies of our magazine Tinnitus Focus to audiologists and other professionals who support people with tinnitus.
We distributed more than 136,000 leaflets about tinnitus through various channels throughout the UK, including GP surgeries and audiology clinics. We held two successful study days for audiologists and hearing therapists to share research methods and results.
- Aim: Ensure new research undertaken and service plan developed in partnership with the Scottish Government to address the gaps in mental health service provision for deaf people in Scotland.
- Impact: We have secured funding from the Scottish Government, established a multi-agency steering group and appointed researchers to develop the basis for this new service. Its launch has been delayed by the need to secure approval from the Government’s Ethics and Research and Development Committees.
- Aim: Invest £800,000 in world-class research to position hearing science as attractive and beneficial to scientists, business and the general public to ensure further investment.
- Impact: More than £800,000 was awarded to our research programme which attracted more than 30 quality research proposals. An independent advisory panel of leading UK research scientists rated many of these as "world class" and four major new research projects have begun.
14 companies worked closely with us to better understand the opportunities of hearing research, with new drugs for tinnitus and protection from loud noise entering the early stages of clinical trials.
In an exciting breakthrough, our grant programme led to the discovery of specific changes in people's genes that make them more likely to lose their hearing as a result of smoking or obesity.
Our ‘Hearing the Future’ conference for 170 members was oversubscribed.
- Aim: Conduct and disseminate a major annual survey into the needs of people who are deaf or hard of hearing, covering all aspects of their lives. Conduct and publish significant new research into the medical and social experiences of people with tinnitus.
- Impact: The annual survey continues to be highly successful, with a response rate of more than one in four. We will use the results to inform our ongoing work to improve access to public transport and employment prospects for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The new research on tinnitus has been completed and publication is imminent.
Dr Ruth Taylor's story
Dr Ruth Taylor is working on research to try to understand why sensory cells die. In particular, she is looking at why the death of sensory cells continues over long periods of time once triggered by initial exposure to a damaging effect such as loud noise.
“Once sound detecting cells (that convert sound vibrations for the brain to understand) are lost, they are not replaced and that’s why hearing loss is permanent. With the support of RNID, we are carrying out research into why sensory cells die and how best to prevent this.” Ruth
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Did you know...
95,000
pairs of earplugs were distributed at festivals, club nights and other events.