A NEW NHS partnership with the charity Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) is set to expand hearing aid support across the county.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, has joined forces with RNID, a national charity supporting people who are deaf, have hearing loss, or tinnitus, to provide a hearing aid support service for residents, their families, friends, and colleagues in care homes.

More than 80,000 people in Somerset suffer with moderate, severe, or profound hearing loss, a figure which has been rising with the county’s ageing population.

Hearing loss is the second most common disability in the UK.

However, as an ‘invisible disability’, it so often goes unnoticed.

More than 4,000 older people in Somerset live in care homes and are disproportionately affected by hearing loss, with about 75 per cent of residents having an issue with their hearing.

Unassisted hearing loss can have a significant impact on older people, leading to social isolation, depression, reduced quality of life, and loss of independence and mobility.

The new partnership between the hospital trust and RNID will provide the 200 care homes across the county with basic hearing aid repairs, hearing checks, information, and signposting​ to ensure their residents are able to access the services and support they need.

The service will be run by volunteers trained by both the RNID and the NHS trust.

The volunteers will also work with care home colleagues and the families of residents, to promote awareness of hearing loss and support with communication.

Only 41 per cent of the public are confident when communicating with people with hearing loss, so the service is expected to play a big part in increasing people’s confidence and skills to invite those with hearing loss back into the conversation.

Trust audiology manager Emma Ralph said: “Providing this service in Somerset will improve access to hearing services, reduce the issues associated with hearing loss such as loneliness and isolation, reduce travel times, and, most importantly, improve patient experience.”

RNID service manager Rachael Beech said: “This partnership will enable RNID and Somerset FT to deliver on two of RNID’s core aims of further supporting inclusion and improving hearing health through increasing accessibility to hearing checks, making a big impact on those impacted by hearing loss.”

NHS trust diagnostics programme director David Craig said he was delighted the trust was working in partnership with RNID.

Mr Craig said: “This new partnership will enable both organisations to further expand the range and access to services for the residents of Somerset.

“Both organisations bring their own skills and experiences of caring for patients with hearing loss and it is hoped this collaboration will expand further in the future so we can continue to provide the highest quality of services to the residents of Somerset.”