Help with Hearing or other communication issues

Hearing loss or other communication issues during COVID-19

We appreciate that telephone appointments and the use of face masks are difficult for patients with hearing difficulties and other communication issues.

Unfortunately the use of both face masks and telephone appointments are likely to be a feature of patient care for a long time to come due to COVID-19.

Alternatives to telephone calls are video-consultations, text or email consultations and giving consent to a relative or friend to speak to us on your behalf. In some cases we may arrange a face to face appointment if nothing else is possible.

If you have hearing problems or other communication issues we can offer you text or email consulations, please send us an email to portcullis.surgery@nhs.net or a letter by post to request this or email us using the form below:

E-MAILING THE PRACTICE

Video consultations

If you have access to a smartphone, IPAD or computer we can offer you a videoconsultation so you can lip read over the video.

Appointing a proxy to speak on your behalf

It may be helpful for us to be able to speak to someone else who you trust about your medical problems over the phone on your behalf.

If you would like to give permission for a relative to receive texts, emails or reminders about your appointments or allow them to speak to us on your behalf then please fill in the form below and either print it off and post to the practice or scan or take a photo of it once you have printed and signed it and send it to us by email.

Portcullis patient consent for relatives

Face to face appointments

We will of course offer you a face to face appointment if no other alternative form of communication is useful however be aware that you will need to wear a face mask for the consultation so it may be neccesary to conduct some of the face to face consultation using written instructions.