Sounding It Out Signia UK & Ireland

In this episode, Dr. Barbara Weinstein and Julia talk about the importance of audibility - promoting social interactions and the importance of a ‘patient-centric’ approach when treating individuals with Dementia.

You can find out more about Dr Weinstein’s work here.You can explore more about the disease by looking at the Alzheimer’s website here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Dr. Barbara Weinstein and Julia talk about the Audiologist’s responsibility when treating individuals with hearing loss and Dementia. The spotlight for this episode surrounds the topic of what Audiologists can do ‘here’ and ‘now’ – highlighting the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach, and any ‘red flags’ that should be included in case-history taking.

You can find out more about Dr Weinstein’s work here.You can explore more about the disease by looking at the Alzheimer’s website here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the first episode in a new mini-series, dedicated to exploring Dementia and its links with hearing loss and brain health. We’ve made this series to coincide with Alzheimer’s Awareness month, as we know that many people living with Dementia may also be suffering from hearing problems, as they share very similar characteristics. It is estimated that by 2030, the number of people with Dementia in the UK alone will be more than 1 million, so it’s vital that we (as Audiologists) understand the issues and how support can be offered.  Throughout this series, Julia is joined by the internationally acclaimed Dr. Barbara Weinstein. She is an Author in the field of ‘geriatric audiology’ with specific research interests in Dementia and social isolation, person-centered care and quantification of patient reported outcomes. Dr. Weinstein has long advocated for the integration of hearing health into the mainstream, and her research has profound implications at the intersection of audiology, public health and society in general. 

Throughout the series, we’ll discuss the Audiologist's responsibility in the prevention and treatment of Dementia, asking what we can do at present when looking after a Dementia patient, as well as doing a deeper dive into the Audiologist's rehabilitative role thereafter. 

In this episode we will be introducing Dementia and looking at how it links to hearing loss & audiology.You can find out more about Dr Weinstein’s work here.You can explore more about the disease by looking at the Alzheimer’s website here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the final part of a 4 part mini-series about the UK’s earwax crisis.

Throughout the series industry experts have been talking about the innovative ways their clinics have for addressing the earwax problem.

In this episode, we’re finding out first hand what it’s like using the Earways Pro tool. It’s been put into practice at the Southeastern Health and Social Care Trust. Nora McDonald is the Acting Adult Lead Audiologist at the trust and is Julia’s guest.

For more information about Earways Pro head to their website

Contact Nora at Nora.Macdonald@setrust.hscni.net

Got a topic you think we should be talking about? Get in touch here: marketing.uk@signia-hearing.com

For more information about Signia UK and Ireland, visit their website

Sounding it Out by Signia, is produced by Annie Day from Fresh Air Production.

 

FULL TRANSCRIPT 

[00:00:00] Julia: Hello and welcome back to Sounding It Out, the podcast dedicated to audiology, brought to you by Signia UK and Ireland. I'm Julia van Huyssteen, your host and Head of Audiology at Signa. This is the fourth and final episode of the miniseries about the wax management crisis we are facing here in the UK. All the guests in this mini- series have found new and inventive ways of tackling the issue in their trusts, and are sharing their experiences and expertise with you.

Last time we heard from Nicola Phillips, who is the Principal Clinical Scientist and Head of Primary Care Audiology at Swansea Bay University Health Board. Nicola talked to us about how her trust implemented an audiology led primary care earwax removal service.

[00:00:52] Nicola: All our patients access primary care audiology through their GP surgeries. In some practices, patients get triaged by the receptionist and book directly into audiology slots, or the wax removal slots. In other practices GPs will triage over the phone and then book them directly into clinics using a shared booking system.

[00:01:10] Julia: If you've missed the first three episodes, you can go back and download them for free wherever you get your podcasts.

Today, let me introduce you to Nora McDonald, who is the Acting Adult Lead Audiologist at the Southeastern Health and Social Care Trust. She is going to be sharing her experiences of using the Earways Pro Tool. Hello Nora.

[00:01:34] Nora: Hi, good morning Julia, thanks for having me.

[00:01:38] Julia: Nora, thank you for joining us as guest speaker.

Although you've only recently started using the Earways Pro tool, you have some great experiences you can share with us today. Before we start getting into the nitty gritty, where did you first hear about the Ear Earways Pro tool and what about it made you pay attention?

[00:01:55] Nora: Our Audiology and ENT manager, Barbara Greg, had noticed it at the 2021 BA conference. We had long ENT waiting lists after covid and more and more patients were presenting to the audiology appointments with obstructive wax. Of course, we're always interested in exploring any wax management options including alternatives for microsuction.

[00:02:20] Julia: So it sounds to me like the impact was both on ENT and audiology. Of course that would be something that makes you pay attention to an alternative method that could actually ease the service. Now, what did the ear removal service exactly look like in your trust before introducing the Earways Pro tool?

[00:02:39] Nora: So the ENT specialist nurses manage the wax removal service. They manage their own waiting lists, reviewing patients as and when required, and accepting new referrals from audiology or ENT as indicated. The audiology service in our trust works across four individual sites and we don't always run alongside the ENT microsuction nurse. So if we were faced with obstructive wax within an audiology appointment and didn't have access to a nurse to remove it, the majority of patients would've been advised to contact their GP for wax removal locally, provided obviously

Welcome to part 3 of our 4 part mini-series about the UK’s earwax crisis.

We’re speaking to industry experts who have come up with innovative ways in their clinics for addressing the earwax problem.

In this episode, Julia speaks to Nicola Phillips, who is the Principal Clinical Scientist and Head of Primary Care Audiology at Swansea Bay University Health Board. 

Nicola and the team have come up with a system that enables patients with hearing, tinnitus or wax problems to be triaged directly to the Audiology Department – which then acts as the first point of contact, freeing up other general practitioners to see patients with more complex health conditions. 

Nicola would love to share her experiences so email her: nicola.phillips@wales.nhs.uk 

Got a topic you think we should be talking about? Get in touch: marketing.uk@signia-hearing.com

For more information about Signia UK and Ireland, visit their website

Sounding it Out by Signia, is produced by Annie Day from Fresh Air Production.

Full episode transcript

[00:00:00] Julia: Hello and welcome back to Sounding it Out, a podcast dedicated to audiology, brought to you by Signia UK and Ireland. I am Julia van Huyssteen, your host and Head of Audiology at Signia. This is the third episode of a miniseries about the wax management crisis we are facing here in the UK. In 2019, the British Medical Association decided it would no longer be considered part of the core services they were obliged to provide.

This has created a postcode lottery for patients suffering from ear wax. We've already spoken to the RNID or the Royal National Institute for Deaf People about their concerns. If you missed that conversation, you can go back and listen for free wherever you get your podcasts. We are also speaking to people in the profession who have come up with some innovative solutions.

Last time I spoke to Mark Newman, Head of Audiology at the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Trust. He has managed to form an agreement with the CCG to fund their earwax management through reimbursement, which allows Mark's trust to have a full audiology lead wax care pathway.

[00:01:15] Mark: So sometimes you need to do a little bit of manoeuvring and ensure you're in the right meetings with the right people in order to make effective change.

[00:01:23] Julia: If you missed the conversation, you can go back and listen for free.

My guest today is Nicola Phillips, who is the Principal Clinical Scientist and Head of Primary Care Audiology at Swansea Bay University Health Board. Nicola, hello.

[00:01:41] Nicola: Hello. Thank you for having me, Julia.

[00:01:44] Julia: So my first question to you really is about a paper that you co-authored very recently, and that has been published in the BMJ or as it used to be called the British Medical Journal. That's so exciting and congratulations. I'm really pleased for you and this paper details a trial that you've been running at the University Health Board. Can you please give our audience an overview of this paper?

[00:02:07] Nicola: Yeah. Thank you Julia. We are delighted to get the first ever primary care audiology publication and myself and the team are very delighted about that. The title of the article is Approved on Healthcare and Practice, an Integration of Audiology Services into Primary Care. So back in 2016, delivering audiology in a primary care setting was set up as a pilot project within the health board. The main aim of the service being enabling patients with hearing, tinnitus or wax problems to be triaged directly to audiology, acting as the first point of contact.

And it greatly benefits the patients as they're seeing specialists in hearing care within a matter of weeks, whilst also freeing up important time for GP and practice nurses. And we do see the amount of referrals being sent to ENT in secondary care, which as we know is very costly.

[00:02:55] Julia: Thank you very much for that, Nicola. So I was actually l

This is the second episode of our mini-series looking at the UK’s earwax crises.

Across 4 episodes you’ll hear from specialists who have come up with innovative ways of treating patients. 

In this episode, Julia who is the Head of Audiology for Signia, speaks to Mark Newman, Head of Audiology at the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Trust. Mark has managed to form an agreement with his CCG to fund their wax management through reimbursement, allowing his trust to have a full Audiology-lead wax care pathway. 

Got a question for Mark? Email him mark.newman7@NHS.net

Got a topic you think we should be talking about? Get in touch here: marketing.uk@signia-hearing.com

For more information about Signia UK and Ireland, visit: https://www.signia-pro.com/en-gb

Sounding it Out by Signia, is produced by Annie Day from Fresh Air Production.

 

FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Julia: Hello and welcome back to Sounding it Out, a podcast dedicated to audiology, brought to you by Signia UK and Ireland. I'm Julia van Huyssteen, your host and Head of Audiology at Signia. This is the second episode of the miniseries about the wax management crisis we are facing here in the UK. As we discussed in the last episode, the situation started to deteriorate in 2019 when the British Medical Association decided it would no longer be considered part of the core services GPs were obliged to provide. It's created a postcode lottery for patients suffering from ear wax, the RNID, or Royal National Institute for Deaf People are concerned that the situation is risking people's hearing health with hearing loss, earache, tinnitus, and dizziness as some of the symptoms. In the last episode, I spoke to Frankie Oliver, audiology advisor at RNID about their worries.

[00:01:06] Franki: I don't think we can really overstate the risks that people compose when, they are forced to try and remove wax themselves. People are being forced to do this because private removal is either inaccessible or too expensive or they're just not able to access any care on the NHS . So people are using dangerous methods to try and remove wax, and then this is posing your risk to the really delicate anatomy of the middle ear and therefore posing a risk to someone's hearing.

[00:01:34] Julia: If you missed the conversation, you can go back and listen for free. In this mini-series we're speaking to people in the profession who have come up with some innovative solutions. I'm going to be joined by people who have found new and inventive ways of tackling the problem in their trusts and we will draw on that expertise.My first guest is Mark Newman, who is the Head of Audiology at the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Trust. Hello, Mark. 

[00:02:06] Mark: Hello, Julia, and thank you for asking me along, 

[00:02:09] Julia: Mark, you've taken a really fresh approach to tackling earwax management in your trust, can you explain what you've done and why it was needed please?

[00:02:18] Mark: As with a lot of audiology departments, we were very frustrated at seeing our patients come through the door for our GP direct access appointments, and also seeing our existing patients where they'd have problems with their hearing aids and we would find wax in the ears and also a lot of our direct access patients are being triaged over the phone by the GPs having a telephone appointment, them being sent through to us with, not even looking in the year. It's always been frustrating thing for us as caring clinicians trying to provide good care for our patients, having to just stop the appointment and send them back to the GP knowing full well, but the services weren't really there to help them.We found that between about 12 and 14% of our patients, although this could vary, were coming in with wax at one point or other. The problem is, as change takes a long time within the NHS , but I was very determined to see this one through seeing these patients in my clinics, I could sh