Letter: Don't ring your GP
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: Those with impaired hearing are increasingly excluded from the machinery of a society rushing into telephone contact for everything. This will become intolerable if matters of health have to be communicated to a stranger who knows nothing of one's medical history, perhaps speaking in dialect and located hundreds of miles away in some gigantic Babel.
Strange voices are difficult for the hearing-impaired to handle and a common feature of centralised call-handling is people with poor elocution and often unfamiliar accents who think the mark of competence is how rapidly they can spew out a torrent of words. Mention that you are deaf and they shout at you or lose patience.
As hospitals are already desperately short of nurses, where are the qualified staff to be found to extend NHS Direct? It is easy to see how staff shortage could lead to menu-switching: "If you have been sick press 1. If you have pain in your right buttock press 2." The mind boggles.
GRAHAM HOLDEN
Budleigh Salterton, Devon
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments