VIDEO: Duke opens £2.8m T&A backed hearing centre (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Bradford Ear Trust centre opens
8:11pm Thursday 15th October 2009 in News By Claire Lomax
HRH The Duke of Gloucester officially opened the £2.8 million Listening for Life Centre at Bradford Royal Infirmary yesterday.
The hi-tech facility was created after a massive fund-raising effort which included hundreds of Telegraph & Argus readers who responded to our appeal through a huge variety of events.
The official opening comes as the Yorkshire Cochlear Implant Service – which serves patients from across the North of England – celebrates carrying out more than 550 implant operations to help profoundly-deaf people hear.
Cochlear implants are small micro-processors which can give the gift of hearing to babies who are born deaf and also adults and children who go deaf through illnesses, such as meningitis.
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat Consultant and head of the Cochlear Implant Service, Mr Chris Raine, said he was delighted the Duke of Gloucester was able to attend to officially open the new centre.
“The implant service covers a wide area across the North of England and the new centre is vital if the service is to continue to maintain, develop and offer top-class medical treatment,” said Mr Raine, who is also founder and chairman of the Ear Trust, the charity which raised much of the money needed to turn the dream of a dedicated cochlear implant centre, into a reality.
He said: “Cochlear implants can open up a whole new world for patients as they enable deaf patients to hear and the centre is a fantastic facility for patients and their families to be treated in.”
The duke, who is a trained architect, met hospital staff, heard presentations about the state-of-the-art facility and toured the new centre, which uses the latest equipment to improve the diagnosis, rehabilitation and education of implant patients.
The duke met patients and families from across Yorkshire who have benefited from cochlear implants, including the centre’s youngest-ever implant patient Saffa Imaan, 18 months, who received her cochlear implant at just six months old.
She was presented to the duke along with her sister Fiza Kauser, aged seven, and parents Zehkia Bi and Fazal Hussain, of Undercliffe.
Foundation Trust Chief Executive, Miles Scott, said: “The campaign to build the Listening For Life Centre began two years ago when a fundraising campaign was launched by The Ear Trust to support dedicated facilities for the Cochlear Implant Service.
“It’s brilliant to see the centre up and running and its work, in helping to bring the gift of hearing to so many across the region, increasing.”
Most patients being implanted are now children under five years old. Children with the implant are usually able to attend mainstream schools, make friends and lead relatively normal lives. Adults receiving the implants can continue with education and employment.
Mr Raine added: “The charity raised an incredible amount for the centre as they were determined that the service would have the best possible facilities on offer for deaf patients throughout the UK.
“The work, drive and commitment shown by the Ear Trust volunteers was amazing and we are grateful for their continued support.”
The Bradford event was also attended by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Stephen Davidson, the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor John Godward and Foundation Trust Chairman, David Richardson.
