D/deaf cards for patients and staff
Through our D/deaf awareness programme, we offer D/deaf staff (and patients) a badge to show others that they have hearing difficulties.
The project began after Pat Brown, a domestic in our palliative care unit at North Tyneside General Hospital, asked for support as she has Meniere’s disease disorder (a long-term, usually progressive condition that affects both the balance and the hearing parts of the inner ear).
Our D/deaf awareness officer worked closely with Pat to make colleagues aware of the barriers she faces when coming to work every day and together, Pat and Margaret developed the badges as a resource aid to support patients and staff.
Pat and her colleagues have also attended training so they can better understand and meet her needs in the workplace, and she is now a strong advocate for other D/deaf staff and patients in the trust.
Bright now funds the printing of the badges and they have been hugely successful in ensuring D/deaf patients and staff are shown dignity and respect. For example, as well as being used by staff on their ID badges, they can also be put on patients’ bedside cabinets so that the staff are always made aware of their needs.
