Deaf nurse supported in research to keep others in NHS

A grant enabled her to attend a conference of deaf researchers and lecturers in Vienna, Austria, and she is now working with colleagues to “create a network of deaf academics in Wales”.

Her area of research seemed an obvious one to her, as she said: “There are a lot of nurses with hearing loss.

“And many develop it as they get older. It’s a struggle to keep our nurses and it’s a struggle to get more.”

She is being funded by Swansea University to work on her PhD, which is looking at the experiences of deaf and hard of hearing nurses in the NHS.

Ms Tanner, who is profoundly deaf, was fitted with cochlear implants at 16 and it was the “experience of being cared for and having the whole hospital experience” that made her decide to become a nurse.

Working in intensive care during the pandemic and the requirement to wear full PPE made her realise that hearing loss “doesn’t just affect people like me”.

She hopes her research can help find ways to support people to stay in the profession and encourage others to join.

“It’s such a common disability, one in five people in the UK have it,” she said.

“I’m so excited to see where this goes, hopefully it will benefit the NHS, it will benefit educational systems, it will benefit nurses themselves and patients.”