Deafness and hearing loss toolkit
Introduction
There are 12 million people with hearing loss across the UK and this is expected to increase to 14.2 million by 2035. Hearing impairment can have a major impact on daily functioning and quality of life. It can affect communication, social interactions and work leading to loneliness, emotional distress and depression. The toolkit supports GPs and GP trainees to implement the latest NICE guidelines and NHS Accessibility Quality Standard and guidance across the UK. The resources developed aim to educate GPs and trainees on Deafness and hearing loss, help reduce variations in accessibility to GP practices and ensure Deafness and hearing loss are considered across all aspects of primary care activity including consultations and continued care.
The RCGP Deafness and hearing loss project team, led by Dr Devina Maru, RCGP Clinical Champion for Deafness and hearing loss, collaborated with The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and NHS England and Improvement in developing the toolkit. This project was funded, thanks to an external educational grant from the British Irish Hearing Manufacturers Association (BIHIMA) in accordance with the RCGP’s sponsorship policy.
Resources include an Essential Knowledge Update (EKU) Screencast, GPVTS Teaching PowerPoint, Podcasts, EKU Online eLearning Module, Hearing Friendly Practice Animation Video and much more.