D/deaf and hard of hearing information

This pages contains information and links for our D/deaf, deafened and hard of hearing patients.

We employ a D/deaf awareness coordinator within the trust to support staff to provide the best care they can to D/deaf patients as part of our commitment to ensuring all of our communities have the access to healthcare they need without any barriers. We are committed to increasing understanding about the needs of our patients with hearing loss and, importantly, improving the delivery of care to them.

If you are a BSL user then you can contact us through InterpretersLive! if you wish via this link.

If you are attending one of our hospitals, please check with our staff that your notes are up-to-date with any communication needs that you have. If your mobile phone number is registered with us then you should receive your appointment reminders via text message.

For our Deaf patients, we do offer face-to-face appointments automatically, rather than virtually or by telephone, and we will book BSL interpretation for your planned appointment or procedure.

If an interpreter cannot be booked or fails to turn up, we have access to remote video BSL interpretation on all our computers. We also have dedicated mobile laptops for remote video BSL interpretation in our outpatient departments at Hexham, Wansbeck and North Tyneside hospitals as well as in the emergency department and ambulatory care at the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital.

For our hard of hearing patients, please let a member of staff know if they need to speak clearly for you or if you need to lip-read.

If you wear hearing aids, please put the T switch on so that you can use the hearing loops at our reception desks and in some clinical areas. If you are coming into hospital, please remember to bring in your hearing aids, spare batteries and spare tubing.

We welcome your feedback on anything which we can do to support patients who are D/deaf or hard of hearing. You can contact us via various methods of communication.

Simple steps to keep you safe during your hospital stay

You may be feeling anxious about being in hospital but keeping you safe and well is a priority for the staff looking after you. There are also some simple things you can do to help keep yourself safe during your hospital stay, such as asking for help when needed, protecting yourself from slips and falls and helping to prevent blood clots.