Hearing Friendly Hospital Project

Patient Survey - Making it easier for patients with hearing difficulties

The Hearing Friendly Hospital project aims to ensure that Eye & Ear services and facilities are responsive to the needs of people who are Deaf and hard of hearing, maintaining the patient’s safety, dignity and independence.

Background: 60% of people over 60 experience significant hearing loss. The average age of all patients at the Eye & Ear is 65, therefore, it is likely that over half of our patients across all areas of the hospital have some degree of hearing loss.

This means we need to be able to support patients with hearing loss in every area of the hospital, such as our Eye clinics, Emergency Department and general public areas as well as our Ear clinics.

What are we doing? Looking at systems, staff training, buildings and equipment to make sure that the Hospital is as accessible as it can be for Deaf and hard of hearing patients.

Running bimonthly training sessions presented by a trainer from Better Hearing Australia to help staff develop a clear communication style that is easily understood by all, including patients with a hearing impairment.

Patient Survey - Making it easier for patients with hearing difficulties

We want to hear from you! Complete our Patient Survey to tell us what would make a visit to the Eye & Ear Hospital easier for patients with hearing difficulties. You can fill this in even if you do not have hearing difficulties, if you have some comments on how we can improve our services for patients with a hearing impairment.

Thinking about the journey through the Hospital, your experiences or the experiences of family or friends: