Under half of GP practices have a service to help deaf people know when they have an appointment, a report has found.

The report by health watchdog Healthwatch Enfield found that only 23 of the 51 practices in the borough had a hearing loop at their site.

In addition only 26 GPs had information about how to register at the practice as a new patient.

The report also found under half of practices give any privacy at the reception desk for patients who might feel uncomfortable explaining an issue.

As documented in Healthwatch Enfield’s ‘Improving services for Deaf patients in Enfield’ report earlier this year, local deaf people have previously reported that many GP services in the borough do not have a hearing aid loop; these findings support that claim.

Lorna Reith, Healthwatch Enfield chief executive, said “We are encouraged that many of the measures available to practices to improve the experience of the patients are common throughout the borough.

“However, there are still improvements that can be made across the board and we hope that practices respond positively to today’s report and remedy areas where they are lacking, especially with regard to hearing loops, privacy at the reception desk and providing registration information.”

The report was described as “generally encouraging” but only three practices passed all 15 tests.