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Felt the area is not deaf/hard of hearing friendly

Posted By HardofHearing25

"Felt the area is not deaf/hard of hearing friendly"

About: Braid Valley Hospital and Ballymena Health and Care Centre / Audiology Service

(as a service user),

I attended an appointment at the Audiology Department in Braid Valley Hospital and felt the area is not deaf/hard of hearing friendly. On approach to the reception desk there is a perspex screen in front of the reception desk and when speaking to the receptionist you can only see the top of their head as the monitor covers the bottom half of their face, the screen and monitor creates a physical and visual barrier when trying to communicate. While waiting to be called I observed quite a few people having difficulty when approaching the reception desk.

The staff are courteous and helpful.
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Responses

Response from Tracy Pinkerton, Audiology Lead, Audiology, NHSCT 2 months ago
We are preparing to make a change
Tracy Pinkerton
Audiology Lead, Audiology,
NHSCT

Submitted on 28/08/2025 at 15:24
Published on Care Opinion at 15:46

Dear HardofHearing25

My name is Tracy, I am Audiology Lead for the Northern Trust. Thank you for taking the time to write feedback from your recent experience with Braid Valley Audiology.

I am happy to advise that there are plans to remove the perspex screen during upcoming work in the department. We fully understand the difficulties it presents to our Deaf and Hard of Hearing users and staff.

We strive to do our very best for patients and staff benefit greatly from feedback. Your feedback has been shared with all members of the team.

Yours Sincerely

Tracy

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Response from Tracy Pinkerton, Audiology Lead, Audiology, NHSCT 4 weeks ago
We have made a change
Tracy Pinkerton
Audiology Lead, Audiology,
NHSCT

Submitted on 02/10/2025 at 08:59
Published on Care Opinion at 09:40

Dear HardofHearing25

I am happy advise that the removal of the perspex screen around reception in Audiology have been completed. Patients and staff are now able to communicate more effectively. Thankyou for raising this issue, we would appreciate any additional feedback you may have.

Yours sincerely

Tracy

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