Bristol City Council is inviting anyone with hearing loss or deafness (or anyone from a supporting organisation) to take part in a short survey which will inform service provision and assessment for hearing-impaired people. 

Whilst this is not a formal consultation, the survey will reflect on people's hearing needs and the current provision for them, called the Deaf Equipment Service, provided by the Centre for Deaf. There will not be a budget cut to the service, but it is important for Bristol City Council to understand the needs of people who currently use or may like to use it, as well as any charities or organisations that work to support them. 

• 11 million people in the UK live with hearing loss - that means one in six of us. This figure is expected to rise to one in five people by 2035. 
• In Bristol specifically, 60,000 people live with hearing loss; for 1 in 40 of them, the loss is profound.
• This year's Bristol City Council needs assessment for people who are deaf or have hearing loss found that older people, those from BAME groups, living in areas of high deprivation, with learning difficulties or autism are all at higher risk of developing hearing loss, but also less likely to have it identified.

The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete, and the deadline is 2 December 2019. Click here to start the survey and help inform the Deaf Equipment Service.