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Communication made easier for Deaf people at their GP surgery
GP SURGERIES in Southport and Formby are set to benefit from
a groundbreaking computer program, which will transform
communication between health professionals and patients who are
either deaf or have limited English. SignHealth, developed by
national charity Sign, is the first program of its kind available to
GP surgeries and is recommended by the Department of Health (DH) and
the National Institute for Mental Health in England.
Sign recognises that health professionals have a number of
difficulties communicating with patients who have a hearing
impairment (particularly those who use sign language), or have
difficulty understanding English. There are often misunderstandings,
sometimes even misdiagnoses. Recent research carried out by the DH
demonstrates a disturbing picture where deaf and hard of hearing
people face difficult and often distressing obstacles in order to
access the NHS. Consequently, the programme has been developed to
give doctors and patients a simple way to communicate easily and
quickly.
Southport and Formby Primary Care Trust (PCT), which includes 19 GP
practices, is one of 303 PCTs in England that will be offered the
program paid for by the Dept of Health, to trial for free for a
limited period. SignHealth allows a GP, nurse or receptionist to
choose what they want to ask a patient from a list of questions on
the computer screen. The computer then shows a video clip of someone
signing the question and the deaf patient can answer by selecting
from a list of on-screen answers.
For people who neither speak nor read English, SignHealth offers
healthcare professionals and patients an option to choose from 12
foreign languages. A question asked by the doctor is translated into
the chosen language and appears on the screen while being played
over a loud speaker.
Steve Powell, chief executive of Sign, commented:- “Currently
more than 60 per cent of GP appointments do not provide
communication support to people with hearing difficulties or to
those who have limited English. SignHealth has been developed to
ensure healthcare professionals can communicate effectively with
patients to make sure an accurate diagnosis is made. With the
support of the money given to PCTs specifically for Deaf people, I
believe SignHealth will provide a service that doctors and deaf
patients in Southport and Formby will benefit from for a lifetime.”
The program also prints out information sheets for the patient about
their medical condition, or simple advice on how to take their
medication. SignHealth also enables GPs and receptionists to send
appointment reminders to deaf people via SMS, helping to avoid the
difficulty deaf people experience when contacting a surgery to book
an appointment. There is an estimated cost efficiency saving of up
to £20m per year by reducing missed appointments by deaf people.
A demo version of SignHealth can be viewed by logging onto:
www.signhealth.com; user: media; password: media.
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OLDER
PEOPLE SAY THE TV IS THEIR MAIN FORM OF COMPANY
NEARLY 1 million older people in the North of England
consider and rely on the television as their main form of company.
The television has now become a substitute for the companionship and
support normally derived from family, friends and neighbours.
This is just one of the disturbing findings of a new survey
commissioned by Help the Aged and released today which reveals the
true extent of loneliness and isolation among older people in the UK
in 2006.
The survey findings mark the launch of the 2nd year of the Help the
Aged Helping Unite Generations (Hug) campaign which runs throughout
April and aims to raise awareness and vital funds to help end
loneliness and isolation among older people.
The survey also reveals that 13% of older people in the North of
England (over 300,000) do not see family more than once a month
(other than those they live with) and over 70,000 older people in
the north never see friends.
Paul Cann, Director of Policy at Help the Aged, said:- “These
depressing findings raise some tough questions. Are we going to
stand by as lonely and isolated older people are left with the
television as their main form of company? Or are we going to
ensure that they have the means and practical help to continue to
live full lives and enjoy the company of family and friends?
Through our Hug campaign we hope to raise funds to help to deliver
the practical solutions needed. But we also aim to unite generations
and challenge all our families, friends and neighbours to think
about how we can all embrace the needs of lonely older people and
bring human warmth back into their lives.”
Lack of contact with grandchildren is a particular issue for older
people in the North of England:-
* A quarter would like their grandchildren to visit more but nearly
a 3rd worry that they would be pestering them if they asked
* Distance is a key
factor driving the generations apart, as 30% said that their
grandchildren are too far away to make it easy to visit
The research findings also reveal that older people are being
deprived of other opportunities for social contact outside the
network of family and friends. Over 300,000 older northerners feel
trapped in their own home and over 100,000 never leave their homes,
even to go to local shops or the post office. Nearly 1/2 a million
older people in the north would like to go out more often but a
staggeringly high proportion cite poor health (71%) and not having
someone to help them get out and about (6%) as some of the reasons
why they are unable to do so.
Paul Cann added:- “You can make a difference to the lives of
lonely older people by getting involved with Hug Month this April.
You can host your own Hug Quiz which aims to be the biggest
intergenerational quiz in history. You can also buy purple Hug
badges and new wrist bands from Help the Aged shops and various
other outlets including Alliance and Leicester, Britannia Building
Society and the Hug website. To get a free quiz pack with everything
you’ll need from questions to balloons or for more information on
how to get involved please call 0870 770 3288 or visit
www.allhug.org.uk.”
Help the Aged is campaigning to improve services for isolated older
people. All the money raised from the Hug campaign will continue to
provide Help the Aged support services that allow older people to
continue to live independently and help them feel less alone. This
includes SeniorLink which is the charity’s 24 hour telephone service
for use in emergencies and for a chat when needed, and the community
transport scheme, SeniorMobility, which helps get older people to
community centres to meet friends and engage in activities. In
addition, SeniorLine is the charity’s telephone help and advice
service on benefit entitlements. The service enables access to vital
funds that mean older people can participate more. |
