By Rhian Lloyd-Evans, Senior Quality and Safety Manager, NHS Wales Executive and RPS Welsh Board Member

Most people wouldn’t know I have hearing loss, but I am one of the 1 in 3 adults in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss, or experience tinnitus.

I wear bilateral hearing aids for congenital sensorineural hearing loss—a less common type affecting mid-range frequencies. This means I can hear thunder roll and birds chirping, but struggle to follow human conversation without support.

Why deaf awareness matters in pharmacy

Over 1.8 million adults in the UK live with hearing loss or tinnitus. Without the right support, it can lead to difficulties in communication, social isolation, and barriers in employment. Alarmingly, two-thirds of people with hearing loss have experienced negative attitudes from others in the last year.

In pharmacy and wider healthcare, good communication is critical—not just for patients, but within multidisciplinary teams. We can all play a part in taking a few simple steps to communicate better with deaf or hard of hearing people:

• Get my attention before speaking— making eye contact or a wave helps
• Face me directly and don’t cover your mouth
• Be patient if I ask you to repeat—rephrasing can often help
• Don’t shout or over-enunciate—it makes lip reading harder
• Let me know the topic: “We’re just talking about…”

My personal journey

I received my first pair of hearing aids at 14, after a late diagnosis. I told very few people - I was embarrassed, and I avoided using them from fear of not being accepted and relied on lip reading to get by.

When I began working as a clinical pharmacist in a busy hospital, I quickly realised I needed to wear my hearing aids – life became noisy and overwhelming leading to frequent headaches. I persevered and wore my aids consistently - it allowed by brain to adjust the new sounds, and it helped me accept that I needed to be open about my hearing loss and to ask for support when necessary.

Navigating the pharmacy workplace

Every role has brought its own set of challenges—open-plan offices, masked conversations, virtual meetings, team huddles. These can present real barriers for someone with hearing loss, but here are a few tips that help me and others in similar situations:

• When asking for input, summarise key points—don’t assume we’ve heard everything
• Avoid speaking over others in group discussions
• In virtual meetings, keep your camera on and mic off – this helps with lip reading and reduces background noise
• Use visual aids or captions where possible

What hearing loss has taught me

Over time, I’ve adjusted well to life and work with hearing loss. I still miss the occasional joke or lose the thread of a conversation, but I have also gained. I have learned that I can tune out distractions and focus deeply and I have a greater awareness of body language and tone. I can sleep through just about anything and there is joy in a few brilliantly misheard lyrics!

Living with hearing loss has made me a more thoughtful communicator and a stronger advocate—for myself and others. If you work alongside someone with hearing loss, never assume limitations - ask how you can support them. We all have a part to play in building inclusive, respectful, and accessible workplaces.

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