Training In Deafblind Awareness For Musgrove Staff, England

Main Category: Hearing / Deafness
Also Included In: Eye Health / Blindness
Article Date: 22 Mar 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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Staff at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton have received specialist training in how to communicate with people with sight and hearing loss.

More than 130 staff and representatives from local partner organisations attended the training which was delivered by DeafBlind UK, a leading national charity working for people with varying degrees of sight and hearing loss. It was led by Christine Hardy from DeafBlind UK, and included practical exercises to give trainees a concept of what it feels like to be blind or deaf.

Christine said: "There are 250,000 people in the UK who have a degree of combined sight and hearing loss, so it is essential that healthcare organisations have a real understanding of the communication needs of these groups of people. Simple changes in practice and procedures by hospitals can make a real difference to the experience of these people, and we were grateful that Musgrove allowed us to use their premises to deliver this important training."

Martine Price, Director of Nursing and Governance at Musgrove, said: "Meeting the individual needs of all our patients is important to us, so this was invaluable training that has increased skills for nurses and healthcare professionals right across the hospital. It will enable us to ensure that vulnerable patients are treated with respect and professionalism."

Selena Hill, Occupational Therapist at the hospital, attended one of the sessions. She said: "This was a really interesting morning. We were given headphones and special glasses to put on to demonstrate what you hear and see if you have particular eye diseases or conditions, which was very powerful. It really made me think about what it must be like for these patients coming into our hospital, and I will certainly use some of the tips we were taught next time I meet a patient who is deaf or blind."

The training was also attended by representatives from Somerset Association for the Blind, the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service and Somerset Partnership Trust.

Notes

Musgrove Park Hospital Taunton is part of Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

The hospital serves a population of 340,000 - primarily living in the area served by NHS South West. Each year almost 40,000 patients are admitted as emergencies; 10,000 patients are admitted for elective surgery; 26,000 are seen for day case surgery; 232,000 patients attend outpatient clinics; 48,000 attend Accident and Emergency, 170,000 diagnostic examinations take place and over 3000 babies are born in the Maternity Department. Almost 1000 patients are admitted to Critical Care each year.

Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has an annual budget of £180 million. The hospital has over 700 beds, 30 wards, 15 operating theatres, a fully equipped diagnostic imaging department and employs 4,145 staff.

For the latest news from Musgrove Park Hospital go here.

Source
Musgrove Park Hospital Taunton

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