How you can get involved
Let your GP surgery know how they can be more accessible for people who are deaf or have hearing loss.
Do you find it difficult to book an appointment with your GP over the phone? Ever missed your name being called in the waiting room or left your GP appointment none the wiser? You’re not alone.
Despite the introduction of the All Wales Standards for Accessible Communication and Information for People with Sensory Loss (The Standards) in 2013, our research shows that too many people who are deaf or have hearing loss still aren't getting the support they need to communicate well at the GP's.
More than half (54%) feel unclear about the information they're given. Around a third (29%) have to rely on a friend or family member to make an appointment on their behalf, over the phone, and a similar number (36%) have to traipse to the surgery to book an appointment as they can’t use the phone.
We’ll be using our findings to campaign for change so that GPs improve how they communicate with people who are deaf or have hearing loss. But we need your help to spread our message far and wide.
We all want to support GP surgeries to improve their practice, so we’ve produced a simple tool to help you tell yours what’s not right, the impact that has, and the simple changes you’d like to see.
If you’ve already given feedback to your surgery and you’re still not getting the accessible service you deserve, click here for guidance on how to complain to your health board.