Trafford General Hospital Audiologist Wins National Award

NEWS RELEASE

“HE’S BEEN A VERY POSITIVE INFLUENCE IN OUR LIVES” – UK AUDIOLOGIST OF THE YEAR 2014 IS ANNOUNCED

A dedicated audiologist has fought off stiff competition to take home the most coveted award in his field.

Top NHS audiologist Greg Nassar, who works at Trafford General Hospital, has been announced as the UK Audiologist of the Year for 2014.

The competition, which is run in partnership between the world’s leading hearing aid battery manufacturer, Rayovac, renowned publication Audio Infos Magazine and the European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (EHIMA), relies on nominations from patients who have experienced exceptional care from their audiologist.

For the seventh year running, a panel of independent industry professionals came together this summer to whittle down the stack of UK entries – more than ever before – and determine who deserves to be crowned as the winner.

Greg was nominated by Lynn Chipperfield, who, in her entry, described how Greg had gone above and beyond to ensure her daughter got the best care possible. Greg’s commitment to helping Lynn’s daughter overcome her unique circumstances and his consistent support led the judges to announce him the winner.

In her nomination for Greg, Lynn said: “Greg deserves this accolade for many reasons, not least his unfailing enthusiasm for his role and his determination that his patients get the best possible care in terms of availability, access and technology. He understands how important aesthetics are to young children and that, if you get the little things right, the bigger things fall into place.

“My daughter benefitted hugely from having an audiologist with such vision. She had sparkly pink ear moulds with ‘In the Night Garden’ characters in them. This gave her a sense of ownership and meant that, at under two years of age, she wore her hearing aids almost constantly!”

Lynn went on to describe how the relationship between her family and Greg went from strength to strength as her daughter grew.

“Greg has been extremely supportive of my family from initial diagnosis at four-weeks-old through to ensuring we had up to date information about implants when our daughter’s hearing finally deteriorated fully two and a half years later. He visited her in hospital after her implant operation, and subsequently he even came to her first hearing birthday party!

“He is a popular and active member of the Trafford community, and is constantly trying to assess and devise different ways of tackling issues facing his deaf and hearing impaired patients. He set up extended hours, uses the latest technology wherever possible that he researches thoroughly himself, he runs a successful and well attended multiagency CHSWG (Children’s Hearing Services Working Group) and waiting times for new equipment such as moulds are well below the national average.

“In short, we feel we have had exceptional service from Greg and his team at Trafford General and he is deserving of your award. He’s been a very positive influence in our lives at a time when we really needed professional and knowledgeable support.”

Other audiologists who received special commendations in the competition were:

• Melissa Taylor              (Cubex)
• Phil Holt                       (Holt Hearing & Balance Services Ltd)
• Huw Thomas                (The Elizabeth Foundation)
• Amanda Brady             (ABC Hearing Ltd)
• Ben Mann                     (Click Hearing)
• Tara Tripp                     (Tara Tripp Hearing)
• Robery Beiny                (Hearing Healthcare Practice)
• Stephen Fairfield           (House of Hearing)
• Gareth Morris                (Hearing Aid Solutions)
• Bridgitte Harley             (The Hearing Clinic)
• Nick Chitty                    (Nick Chitty Hearing Care)
• Marianne Holt               (Holt Hearing & Balance Services Ltd)

Judge Søren Hougaard, from EHIMA, said: “It is highly encouraging to notice in all of the entries how the audiologists have “gone the extra mile”, gone “beyond the call of duty”, they are “caring, empathetic, honest, professional and supportive”. They very often visit their patients in the home or even in hospitals, or see clients outside working hours; their care goes well beyond the consulting room. There are some absolutely terrific, admirable audiologists out there!

Paula Brinson-Pyke, Marketing Director at Rayovac, said: “It’s stories like that of Lynn and her family which are the reason we run this competition – to reward the professionalism, patience and kindness which audiologists around the world show to their patients day in, day out.

“Every year it is wonderful to hear so many heart-warming stories from patients across the globe, and with this year’s competition being extended for the first time also to Switzerland, we’ve had more entries for 2014 than ever before, which is incredible.”

Judging is now underway to decide which of the winners from each of the participating countries will win the overall title of European Audiologist of the Year. The winner will receive a cash prize along with a certificate, which will be presented at the annual Evening of Excellence in Hannover this October.