Publised date : 07 Jul 2019
Perthshire North MSP, Mr John Swinney, and Highland ward councillor Mike Williamson (SNP) have today welcomed at scheme which aims to make hearing aid maintenance easier for those living in Highland Perthshire.
The scheme, proposed and organised by Cllr. Williamson, will see NHS Tayside partner with Perth and Kinross Council and Culture PKC. Around 30 volunteers will now be available in once monthly in Pitlochry and Aberfeldy to perform maintenance on hearing aids, including cleaning and replacing of tubes and batteries.
Because of this scheme, those in Pitlochry, Aberfeldy and the surrounding areas who are in need of hearing aid maintenance will no longer be required to either post their hearing aids away or undertake long round-trips.
Commenting, Mr Swinney said:
“This is an excellent, common-sense scheme that will bring tangible benefits to those living in Highland Perthshire.
“I congratulate Cllr. Williamson on bringing this scheme to fruition, which I am sure will prove popular. I am hopeful that this scheme can be built upon and extended across the more rural parts of Highland Perthshire in the months ahead.”
Mike Williamson added:
“This is an important scheme which will make life much easier and more convenient for those with hearing aids in Highland Perthshire.
“I am delighted that there has been such a positive response to my proposal, and I would like to extend my thanks to the near 30 volunteers who have now received NHS training to service hearing aids.
“Going forward, I will be working to extend this scheme to mobile library buses. This will ensure that those with hearing aids in Highland Perthshire can have access to this service on their doorstep, regardless of location.”
The new services will be available at Pitlochry Community Hospital on the first Tuesday of every month and at Aberfeldy Library on the first Friday of the month. These drop-in clinics are part of a Tayside-wide service delivered by specially trained NHS Hearing Aid Support volunteers.
