Minister's praise for NHS Forth Valley's audiology team

Jenni Minto met with local audiology staff, students and volunteers during her visit and she heard about the wide range of work being taken forward to enhance the skills of local staff and further improve the range and quality of audiology services available across Forth Valley.

The minister also met with ten-year-old Adam Tasker, from Falkirk, who is due to undergo surgery to have a cochlear implant fitted after he experienced sudden profound level of hearing loss as a result of an injury while playing football. The audiology team, which provides tests and treatment for both children and adults affected by hearing loss, has been working closely with Adam and his parents, Gillian and Liam, over the last few months and helping them prepare for the forthcoming surgery.

Ms Minto said: “I was hugely impressed by the work underway to improve the experience of local patients of all ages and develop the skills and experience of the local audiology team. The care and commitment shown by the staff, students and volunteers I met was inspirational and I would like to thank the team for taking the time to meet with me and discuss the many challenges and improvements they have made to local services.”

Stephanie Doody-Orr, NHS Forth Valley’s audiology services manager, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Minister of Public Health to meet some members of the audiology team based at Stirling Health and Care Village and highlight some of the great work being taken forward to reduce waiting times, improve communication across services and support local patients and their families. I am very proud of the team who worked tirelessly to keep audiology services running throughout the pandemic and have continued to drive forward a wide range of service developments and improvements.”