Jun 25th 2024
Patients with hearing problems now have access to the latest equipment at Salisbury District Hospital thanks to your generous support.
The new £12,000 audiometer for the Audiology Department carries out hearing tests as well as hearing aid fittings and programming. Chief Audiologist Zoe Townend is pictured above with the new audiometer.
Mr Rory Smith, the Hospital’s Head of Audiology, says: “We would like to say thank you very much to the Stars Appeal and its supporters. The audiometer is making a huge difference to our patients from children to adults. It is modernising how we do hearing tests and hearing aid fittings.
“Tests can be done quicker, which is giving us more time to tailor the care and treatment for our patients. It is giving our patients more time to have one-on-one discussions with their clinician, which is improving the experience for our patients.”
The device also has new capabilities for example it can perform real ear measurements in both ears at the same time, which is part of the bespoke hearing aid set-up process. It also enables the Audiology team to do hearing aid fittings for children in the main department, which it wasn’t previously able to do.
“This means we are able to see more of our child patients, so they get seen more quickly, which is very important,” adds Mr Smith.
The audiometer also has the capability to programme hearing aids remotely so patients don’t have to travel to hospital.
