The Hunter Family Practice, a busy general practice providing primary health care in Northern Ireland, has discovered that achieving the Louder than Words charter not only improved access for deaf and hard of hearing patients, but raised staff morale and improved communications internally.
 
With over 250,000 deaf and hard of hearing people in Northern Ireland, a figure that is set to rise as the population ages, Hunter Family Practice identified improved accessibility for these patients to be a priority.

Needing specialist advice, our Employment Training and Skills Service Team was contacted to arrange Deaf Awareness Training for all staff.  Following our training the Practice Management Team were keen to learn more about the Louder than Words Charter Mark.  Our Louder than Words Co-ordinator, visited the Practice and produced a benchmarking report that identified any changes needed to make the practice deaf friendly and improve accessibility.   

Our report identified several areas that could be improved to make the practice more accessible, including the delivery of Start to Sign training for all staff.  The impact of this training had such a profound effect on two members of staff, they have since volunteered to study a BSL Level One course, and spend a part of every lunchtime practising together.  Other staff training delivered by us included Textphone/Typetalk training which was delivered to all reception and admin staff.
 
Hunter Family Practice implemented all the changes recommended, many at negligible cost because they involved simple changes to procedures and policies. For example, a deaf/hard of hearing register was compiled, with computerised flagging of patient records to alert staff if a patient is deaf or hard of hearing.

Induction loops were also installed in all consulting rooms and reception areas and portable loops are now used for home visits.  Improvements in waiting room areas included new digital televisions, with digital teletext to enable use of subtitle viewing, visual displays for patients and installation of flashing fire alarms.
 
Asked if the Louder than Words charter was worth implementing for their service, Lorraine Hughes, Practice Manager commented:

"The Deaf Awareness Training made us all more aware of the numerous problems faced by deaf and hard of hearing people in everyday life. The whole process was very rewarding. All staff agreed that it has been one of the most worthwhile projects we have taken on. Working towards the achievement of Louder than Words brought us together as a team and improved staff morale."

Deaf and hard of hearing patients have been delighted with the changes that Hunter Family Practice have made, particularly the positive and welcoming attitude of all the staff.  Patients are now able to order repeat prescriptions over the telephone using our Typetalk service.

One deaf patient commented:

"The Doctor signed, I felt brilliant and pleased…I am proud of this service, please keep it up."

To ensure it remains accessible Hunter Family Practice has planned update sessions into its staff training schedule.

To find out more about the benefits Louder than Words can offer your organisation contact Training Services on 0161 276 2311/2 or email training.services@rnid.org.uk .