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Deaf people cannot make appointments

Posted By The Girl with the Furred Earholes

"Deaf people cannot make appointments"

About: Stoke Mandeville Hospital / Ear, Nose and Throat

(as the patient),

I need to make an appointment with Stoke Mandeville Hospital from time to time to have my hearing aids checked.

The only way to make an appointment for this is by telephone. How bizarre and unhelpful it is that the only way for a NON HEARING PERSON to make an appointment with the Audiology department is by using the telephone, for which a reasonable ability to hear is required.

The Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust website says that it is possible to contact the Audiology department line number 01296 315725 by using text, so that would avoid the impracticalities of having to use a telephone, but that text service does not work.

A page on the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust says "Our aim is to put your needs first. " This does not happen where a NON HEARING PERSON is not able to make an appointment because there is no NON HEARING MEANS OF COMMUNICATION to make that appointment.

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Responses

Response from Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust 7 years ago
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

Submitted on 04/05/2017 at 16:29
Published on Care Opinion at 16:33

We are very sorry to learn of your difficulty contacting the audiology team to make an appointment. I can appreciate that this must be extremely frustrating and disappointing.

In order to ensure we can arrange for you to access the service as soon as possible, I would be very grateful if you could email pals@buckshealthcare.nhs.uk with your patient details so that we can arrange an appointment for you.

In the meantime, we have passed your comments to the head of audiology who will be investigating your concerns and the accessibility of the service as a matter of urgency.

Best regards

Patient Advice and Liaison Team.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Response from Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust 7 years ago
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

Submitted on 04/05/2017 at 16:53
Published on Care Opinion at 16:55

I can now confirm that the text service has been checked and is functional. If you would prefer to text your requirement to one of the numbers below in full, a member of staff will respond as soon as possible. You will need to quote your full name, DOB, specific query and contact telephone number.

Stoke Mandeville Hospital - 01296 315725
Wycombe & Amersham Hospitals - 01494 425601

The audiology lead will also be reviewing the contact information provided on our web site in light of your comments and add any other points of access that may be helpful.

Thank you for your valuable feedback and helping us improve services for the future.
  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by The Girl with the Furred Earholes (the patient)

Thank you for your helpful replies.

As there seemed to be no alternative at the time, I did telephone the Audiology department to try to make an appointment. I think that I was able to adequately hear the person who responded and if I did hear correctly, then an appointment has been made.

I have sent another text message to the Audiology department to obtain confirmation of the appointment.

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