Nottingham South MP, Lilian Greenwood, visited Ropewalk House last week to learn more about the centre’s work in tackling hearing loss.

Ropewalk House, part of Nottingham University Hopsitals, is home to one of the largest audiology services in the country, treating over 60,000 patients a year. Meeting Clare Benton, Head of Audiology, Lilian was given a guided tour of the clinics and treatment rooms, as well as the Children’s Hearing Assessment Centre.

Dr Tracey Twomey, Head of Service was also on hand to showcase the work of the Nottingham Auditory Implant Programme (NAIP). Since launching in 1989 the NAIP has carried out over 1,600 cochlear implant operations and are one of the leaders in the field, receiving nation-wide referrals.

Lilian also visited the NIHR Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit – a partnership between NUH, The University of Nottingham and the MRC Institute of Hearing Research. The unit was established in 2008 and is the only BRU funded to pursue translational research in deafness and hearing problems.

Research Lead Dr Melanie Ferguson and Research Fellow Dr David Maidment put Lilian through her paces with a series of speech and memory tests, designed to test cognitive function.

Following her visit Lilian said: “Our city is leading the way in diagnosing and treating hearing problems and using new technologies to offer more choices to those affected by deafness or hearing loss.

“I was particularly interested to hear how the work of clinicians and scientists is brought together by the work of the biomedical research unit – translating cutting edge research into real improvements for patients.”