Questions put to Healthwatch Worcestershire

Healthwatch Worcestershire Meeting

H&W Draft Proposals for Discussion 11th November 2016

Wyre Forest House Finepoint

• Page 2 People taking responsibility for own health
• To be encouraged but no guarantees.
• Own experience this year of waiting 19 weeks for a physiotherapy appointment - after phoning to find out where my letter was - twice.
• Treatment should not be denied when it is needed.
• There are areas where people cannot control their health.
• Cutting or restricting vital services to patients is deplorable.  Department of Health and NHS England guidelines appear to be being ignored.
• My own area of patient expertise is hearing loss probably caused by living in London during World War II

Current advice is that people should seek help with hearing loss sooner rather than later before the difference between noise levels heard with and without hearing aids becomes too great for patients to cope with.  

• Department of Health & NHS England Action Plan on Hearing Loss (23rd March 2015) states that Objective 2 (Page 20) is to “ensure that all people with hearing loss are diagnosed early …… and that they are managed effectively once diagnosed.”  
• Page 22 “Hearing is a major factor in maintaining independence and achieving healthy ageing.”
• Link between hearing loss and dementia is also mentioned.  There is a  recognised pathway - hearing loss - isolation - depression - dementia.

See here

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/act-plan-hearing-loss-upd.pdf  

for complete document:

Why is the withdrawal of hearing aid provision for people with ‘mild’ hearing loss even on the shortlist of possible cuts to services?

Kathleen Hill

Member of GP PPG, Wyre Forest Patients’ Group,

NHS Wyre Forest CCG Membership Scheme

Action on Hearing Loss Member and Volunteer