On behalf of the CCG, I would like to thank Let’s Loop Southampton for auditing our city’s GP practices for hearing loops. This report rightly identifies a need for further support for people who are hard of hearing or deaf, and therefore we are pleased to confirm we will fund new loops in GP practices which need them
Local businesses and Highstreets are often the beating heart of a community, and it is important they remain open and accessible to all, so that all our communities can enjoy and use them. With more people suffering from hearing loss every year and this being a root cause to social isolation for so many, it has been great to work with Steve Beal and Healthwatch to ensure we take action and ensure our Highstreet becomes fully looped. I hope local independent businesses take advantage of the small funding grants available so we can help make this happen.
Let’s Loop Southampton have done a fantastic job identifying some of the stores and facilities in the Southampton that currently do not have loops installed. But better than that they have persuaded some to install or repair existing loops. It is so important that we all continue to work to support the hearing impaired community and encourage others to do likewise.
We’re supporting the Let’s Loop Southampton campaign as it will help to make the city’s retail district more open and welcoming to all. We fully support the traders who have already installed hearing loops and maintain them, and are looking forward to more retailers following their excellent example.
The ability to communicate is the most important of all human functions, and the inability to do so affects every aspect of people's lives. Business's, especially retail, depend for their very existence on communication and persuading customers to buy their goods. It is therefore astonishing that any business would choose to exclude potential customer that have hearing difficulties - especially when a proper loop system is such a low price item for any business - They are losing the spending power of these people. We champion those few businesses that have taken these issues seriously.
Let’s Loop highlighted a need for us to improve the loops that we had and to expand our coverage to different areas. Their help and advice was invaluable, and we are delighted that we are even more accessible for our visitors with a hearing loss condition. Thank you to Steve and the team!
This initiative can make such a difference for the experience of visiting the City and Go Southampton is fully committed to supporting this scheme and will help promote more businesses to consider a Loop system that will benefit their customers.
“I would like to thank Let’s Loop and Healthwatch Southampton for this report. It is vital we support people with a hearing loss condition. That is why NHS Southampton City CCG has already set up a hearing loop in our building and I encourage more businesses to work with Let’s Loop and set up hearing loops.
Healthwatch Southampton is proud to partner with Let’s Loop, who have worked tirelessly to educate local businesses, public sector organisations, charities and voluntary groups about their role in ensuring premises are accessible to those with a hearing-loss condition. Their work continues to have a huge impact for thousands of people, both locally and nationally.
We have had a loop system in branch for a number of years, which should always be regularly checked by our maintenance team. However When Lets Loop came in to check they found a few areas where this was not the case. It was hugely useful for us to get feedback so we could put it right as there is little point having the equipment if it is not working correctly. We were able to swiftly address the problems and get ourselves fully operational thanks to Lets Loops support. We hope customers who need this system find it useful and helpful and look forward to being able to welcome them to our shop.
We have already visited the shops in West Quay and High Street. It is really important that we do this, because by law it is a requirement to install hearing loops in public places.
It’s very important to raise public awareness of those who having hearing difficulties, since it is an invisible difficulty. Businesses need to take responsibility for training their staff appropriately and for creating an environment which is adapted for the needs of those with hearing difficulties.
When in a public place, your hearing aid picks up a lot of background noise, which makes it difficult for it to work efficiently. The loop cuts out this background noise - this helps not just the individual using the loop, but also allows the staff when interacting with them.
Installing hearing loops is so important and makes a huge difference, yet requires only a small change. The technology is there, it’s just that the shops aren’t using it.