Bournemouth and Poole Community Health Services

Poole Health Scrutiny Committee

1stJuly 2014

AUDIOLOGY SERVICE UPDATE

1.SeRVICE SUMMARY

1.1The Audiology service aims to reduce the disabilities caused by hearing loss and, in particular to provide accessible, evidence based, effective and efficient hearing assessment, hearing advice and hearing aid services for adults, children and babies.

1.2The Audiology department provides a service to patients within Bournemouth, Poole, and East Dorset (Purbeck, Christchurch and East Dorset localities).Residents of Poole have the choice to access any Audiology services in the locations that is most convenient to them.The service also operates home visits to Poole residents who are housebound.

2.Poole Walk IN REPAIR CLINICS UPDATE

2.1The aim of the walk in repair clinics is to address simple repairs and re-tubing which takes no more than 15 minutes.

2.2Poole Healthcare Centre continues to offer 3 days a week walk in repair clinics as well as volunteer home visits to support individuals who are house bound.

2.3Waiting times vary depending on demand on the day and ranges from walking in and being seen immediately to an hour. The average waiting time is 30 minutes.

2.4Individuals attending walk in repairs attend with a variety of needs ranging from simple re-tubing and repairs that take 15 minutes to complex repairs and assessments taking up to 30 minutes. Staff wherever possible will try to resolve any issues during that visit.

2.5The service has seen a total 7.3% increase in walk in repair activity over 2013-14. It is estimated that over 3200 of this activity was based in Poole.

2.6The service would like to expand the number of walk in repair clinics it can offer in Poole Health Care however is restricted with room availability and capacity.

2.7The service is continually looking at effective ways to manage demand and has invested in an additional Audiology assistant to support the work of the walk in repair clinics.

2.8The service is also revisiting guidelines and information provided to patients in order to ensure that patients are seen in the most appropriate clinic type.

2.9The service is working with Audiology Volunteers who are themselves Service Users to set up coffee mornings in key locations to offer peer support, self help education as well as opportunities for re-tubing and signposting.

3.QUALITY, PARTICIPATION AND INVOLVEMENT UPDATE

3.1The service is implementing a Patient Related Outcomes Measure System (PROMS) to capture improvements using a nationally approved scoring system called the Client Orientated Scale of Improvement (COSI). This will enable the service to monitor patient progress and monitor effectiveness of treatments while enabling patients to be involved in the decision making of their care.

3.2Feedback and User involvement are sought from a variety of ways including; forums involving volunteers who are users of the service; hand held feedback devices; patient surveys as well as compliments and complaints.

3.3The service in December 2013 took part in a service user involvement day where service users were able to give their feedback on what was important to them.

3.4The service is following up on the feedback given and is making changes and improvements which Include: Improving communication and information flow by having a dedicated Audiology notice board in the waiting area; increasing awareness of specialist services such as Audiology, what they do and how to access them by developing a booklet for GPs and Professionals and developing information leaflets for service users in different languages to increase accessibility and understanding of the service.

3.5The service alsofollows up the feedback given and shares this with service users through “You said, We did” posters.