Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is working with the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) to provide a hearing aid support service for residents, their families, friends, and colleagues in care homes across Somerset.

According to the NHS trust, more than 4,000 older people in Somerset live in care homes and are disproportionately affected by hearing loss, with approximately 75 percent of residents having an issue with their hearing.

The new partnership between Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and RNID will provide basic hearing aid repairs, hearing checks, information, and signposting​ to the 200 care homes across Somerset to ensure care home residents are able to access the services and support they need.

Rachael Beech, Service Manager at RNID, said: “This partnership will enable RNID and Somerset FT to deliver on two of RNID’s core aims of further supporting inclusion and improving hearing health through increasing accessibility to hearing checks, making a big impact on those impacted by hearing loss.”

The service will be run by volunteers who have been highly trained by both the RNID and the trust.

Additionally, the volunteers will work with care home colleagues and the families of residents to promote awareness of hearing loss and support with communication.

Emma Ralph, an audiologist and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust Audiology Manager, commented: “Providing this service in Somerset will improve access to hearing services, reduce the issues associated with hearing loss such as loneliness and isolation, reduce travel times, and, most importantly, improve patient experience.”

The hearing aid support service is expected to play a big part in increasing confidence and skills of the public and care home colleagues to invite those with hearing loss back into the conversation.

David Craig, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust Programme Director for Diagnostics, added that he is delighted that the trust is working in partnership with the RNID.

“This new partnership will enable both organisations to further expand the range and access to services for the residents of Somerset,” he commented.

“Both organisations bring their own skills and experiences of caring for patients with hearing loss and it is hoped this collaboration will expand further in the future so we can continue to provide the highest quality of services to the residents of Somerset.”

A recent pilot study found that a personalised hearing intervention led to a significantly higher hearing aid use among people with mild cognitive impairment.