By Hayley Robinsonhrobinson@thekmgroup.co.uk

An NHS Trust has back tracked on its decision to stop supplying free hearing aid batteries to a charity that supports deaf and hard of hearing people in Swale.

It means Hi-Kent can continue to supply fresh batteries free of charge to people with NHS hearing aids when they drop in to the aftercare clinics in Sittingbourne to get their hearing aids cleaned and retubed.

Medway NHS Foundation Trust announced at the beginning of March that it would stop supplying the charity with batteries from April 1.

Hi-Kent’s chief Executive John Clayton branded the decision as 'bonkers so it goes without saying that he is delighted at the recent announcement.

He said: “If the supply had been withdrawn, deaf people would have had to travel to hospitals to get replacement batteries, or taken used batteries to post offices to post them back to the NHS whilst they waited for new ones to arrive.

“People value the fact the clinics take place at regular intervals in their community because it means they don’t have to wait for an appointment with audiology or travel to their nearest hospital.

“Hi Kent runs local clinics all over Kent, where people can drop in without having to make appointments, and collect fresh batteries which we usually fit for them, in their own communities.

“Hi Kent won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service for our clinics network, and I’m very pleased that our work can continue.”

A spokesman for Medway NHS Foundation Trust said: “Multiple packets of batteries were often being given to individual patients and log books were not always kept up to date. This meant supplies of batteries were frequently running out leaving patients without working hearing aids.

“Since then, the Trust has been able to fully evaluate the situation and is happy to announce that supplies of hearing aid batteries to community clinics will resume with procedures in place to monitor the numbers being given out.”

Hi-Kent walk-in clinics take place at The Memorial Medical Centre, Bell Road, every Wednesday, from 9.30am to 11am.