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A paramedic is blazing a trail for her deaf and hearing impaired peers with a practical new way of letting colleagues know of their disability on the job.
Jenna Gibson qualified to work for the South East Coast Ambulance Service seven years ago and is based at the Thamesside station in Northfleet.
Northfleet paramedic Jenna Gibson is raising awareness of hearing impairment in the workplace
Prior to her university studies Jenna was diagnosed with chronic middle ear disease and has since had to undergo several surgeries which means she now requires hearing aids in both ears.
The former Dartford Grammar School for Girls pupil worried about returning to work deaf and the impact this might have on her day-to-day activities.
Jenna said: “The last time I was off sick for surgery, I was concerned about coming back as I was going to be bilaterally deaf at work for the first time.
"It was at that point that it occurred to me that hearing impaired people almost instinctively adjust their behaviours, their positioning and their communication in order to optimise their understanding when other people are speaking to them.
"But there is actually an awful lot more that everyone around that hearing impaired person could be doing to improve things further still."
The kind of situations Jenna was most concerned about were serious incidents such as cardiac arrests where there would likely be multiple clinicians and many who might not be familiar with her.
It was then the paramedic, with the help of the ambulance trust, came up with the idea of a badge to let her peers know.
The visual aid will mean ambulance staff with hearing issues can be easily identified at the scene of an incident or in the workplace potentially without having to explain their impairment each time.
All ambulance staff with a hearing impairment will now be able to request a specially-designed pin from the trust’s "Enable" disability network to wear on their epaulettes.
The use of protective masks worn by healthcare workers is more important than ever to protect others.
But for paramedics with hearing impairments the requirement to wear face coverings can prove a barrier to lip reading which many rely on.
And so Jenna has also produced a short video to explain how communication with people with hearing impairments can be improved.
Using the mnemonic FACE, the video encourages face-to-face communication, attention, clear calm communication, and being aware of the immediate environment. The video can be viewed on YouTube here.
Explaining the idea behind the training, the hearing loss advocate said: “I felt firstly some education was needed and also that the badge could be useful as a simple visual indication that a person has a hearing impairment and could benefit from some adjusted communication techniques.
"I don’t think people should have to draw huge amounts of attention to themselves to make it known they have a hearing impairment.
“I really hope the badge along with increased awareness can make communicating at work easier for staff, our partners and in turn our patients.”
