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Care Opinion

A broken hearing aid

Posted By snowfx65

"A broken hearing aid"

About: General practices in Lanarkshire University Hospital Monklands / Ear, Nose & Throat (Ward 9)

(as the patient),

I went to my family doctor's surgery at Craigmarloch Medical Centre to ask if they could arrange for me to go to Stobhill hospital to have my hearing aid mended. Stobhill hospital had issued the hearing aids, so I  thought I would need to go back to them to have a broken one fixed. However, the receptionist said I did not need to go as far as Stobhill, I would be able to have it looked at at the Cumbernauld Health Centre.

At the Cumbernauld Health Centre I took a ticket and waited  for my number to be called. When it was I was seen by a young lady who examined my ears and told me they needed to be syringed, she would arrange for me to be seen at a local hospital for this to happen. she told me they could not fix my broken hearing aid at the health centre as they had not issued it.

A while later I received a letter to go to Monklands hospital to have my ears syringed. I was traumatised. My doctor knows I have asked not to go to Monklands as my wife passed away there under distressing circumstances. My wife passed away after 53 years and it too traumatic to go to that hospital. Nevertheless I had to go.

At Monklands, whilst waiting for my ears to be syringed, I felt confident that my hearing aid would be fixed as the clinic was just a few yards from the treatment room. My ears were duly syringed, then came the blow. No, they would not be able to look at my hearing aid as they had not issued it. What would it have cost them in time and money to do this? All these services are under one health board.

I'm 84, it takes considerable effort and organisation to get around to hospitals and health centres, for this visit to Monklands I had to arrange for a voluntary driver to  take me there and bring me back. Getting to the Cumbernauld  Health Centre involves a couple of busses there and back. Several weeks later after heartache, effort, organisation I am no further forward.

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Responses

Response from Karen Goudie, Chief Nurse, University Hospital Monklands, NHS Lanarkshire 5 years ago
Karen Goudie
Chief Nurse, University Hospital Monklands,
NHS Lanarkshire

Submitted on 25/10/2018 at 21:32
Published on Care Opinion on 26/10/2018 at 09:37

picture of Karen Goudie

Dear snowfx65,

I am sorry to hear about your experience and the difficult memories. It would be really helpful if you contact me so that I can find a solution to the issue you are having with your hearing aids. I do hope that the treatment you had at University Hospital Monklands has helped in some way. Please call me on 01236 748748 and ask for Karen Goudie (Chief Nurse), I will do my utmost to help you.

Take Care,

Karen

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Response from Lorraine Innes, Deputy Manager, Audiology Services, Princess Gate, NHS Lanarkshire 5 years ago
Lorraine Innes
Deputy Manager, Audiology Services, Princess Gate,
NHS Lanarkshire

Submitted on 26/10/2018 at 17:40
Published on Care Opinion on 29/10/2018 at 10:39

picture of Lorraine Innes

Dear snowfx65

I am so sorry we have been unable to assist with your faulty hearing aid.

I can totally understand your frustration when you attended the hearing-aid open-repair clinics at both Central Health Centre and UHMonklands, when you were informed that NHS Lanarkshire Audiology Services were unable to repair it for you.

Perhaps if I could explain the reasons behind this. It is not that we at NHS Lanarkshire Audiology are unwilling to help you and that we would certainly have assisted you if we possibly could have.

All of the Audiology Services across Scotland has its own individual hearing-aid programming systems on its own health boards departmental data-base. Each area holds unique patient information for all individual hearing aid patient’s prescriptions which is updated at each clinic visit by the Audiologist should any changes be required for the technological function of the hearing aid.

Access to each of the health board’s technology is therefore not available to enable services to programme a replacement hearing aid.

If any aid has been issued from any another area, there is no systems in place across Scotland which allows individual health boards access to each other’s data bases. This is essential as the fitting data requirements of each aid is programmed electronically and fitted to a patient’s exact hearing loss direct from their system.

As you were issued with your hearing aid at Stobhill Hospital, all information with regards to the technical data of your hearing aid is stored on their own department’s computer system.

At Lanarkshire, as with all other health boards in Scotland, we can provide patients from other areas basic hearing- aid maintenance at any of our sites but unfortunately we are unable to repair or replace any aid we have not issued.

I presume it is this maintenance service that the receptionist at your GP’s surgery was referring to when you were directed to Audiology Services in Lanarkshire and I am sorry you were misinformed.

If you would prefer, I can arrange to transfer all care of your hearing aid to NHS Lanarkshire from Stobhill Hospital, which would hopefully make things easier for you.

Please do not hesitate to get to get in touch directly, I will be happy to arrange this for you if this would be more suitable.

Kind Regards

Lorraine Innes,

Deputy Head of Audiology

Princes Gate,

Castle St,

Hamilton

TEL: 01698 456550

lorraine.innes@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk

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