Tinnitus Awareness Week 2012 is up and running and things are going really well.

The planning started months ago, we wanted to come up with a theme that would get lots of support, something emotive, and decided it was about time we aimed our sights at GPs again, and that’s what we’ve done.

We know, from our helpline, emails and Facebook posts that it’s still common for people with tinnitus to go to their GP and be told ‘go away, there’s nothing that can be done’. Sometimes people are told much worse – actually sometimes we can’t believe what enquirers tell us their GPs have said, so we thought,  "Let’s do something that our members and supporters can help us with."

‘Raising Awareness in Primary Care’ emerged as the theme and the Ten Top Tinnitus Tips for GPs was compiled by Don McFerran and David Baguley of the BTA’s Professional Advisers’ Committee (PAC). The tips are aimed at advising GPs about tinnitus, what to look out for, how to help and suggesting where to send a patient for more support. The BTA has been encouraging people to take the tips to their GP, copies went in Quiet magazine and we’ve been sending them to enquirers. We were getting 6,000 printed, then thought 8,000 might be used during the rest of the year but we sent all 8,000 out before the start of Tinnitus Awareness Week! We’re now into the next 8,000 that we had to quickly get printed! In fact it’s been so well received that we’ve decided to carry on sending it to anyone who contacts the BTA. If you haven’t seen them or would like to download a copy go here: www.tinnitus.org.uk/ten-top-tinnitus-tips-for-gps.

We know a lot of tinnitus support groups, organisations and individuals have taken the time to send out or take the Ten Top Tinnitus Tips for GPs in their area, which has been fantastic. Other aims for Awareness Week included encouraging Audiologists and hearing specialists to hold a meeting or attend an event for GPs , where they could advise about tinnitus and the services available locally. It was a big ask, we know budgets are tight at this time, but we’ve heard of several meetings which have been arranged or that will be taking place later in the year – so that’s great news! There are a set of presentations available from meetings/events that have already taken place, you can see them on the website at www.tinnitus.org.uk/example-presentations.  

Of course the main aim of Tinnitus Awareness Week is just to raise awareness of the condition in general. We’ve already had lots of coverage, including newspaper articles, interviews on BBC Radio Devon and BBC Radio Wales and we got a fantastic slot on Daybreak on ITV1 on Monday. We’ve also had loads of requests for information displays and events across the UK. In the office we’ve had lots more phone calls and emails asking for information - and the more people who know we are here to help, the better!

At the time of writing this it’s only Wednesday, so there’s plenty of Tinnitus Awareness Week left. If you’re holding an event or promoting awareness of tinnitus, please let us know and if you aren’t then why not do something, like taking the Ten Top Tinnitus Tips for GPs to your GP when you next visit? You never know, it may just mean that the next person your GP sees who has tinnitus might be told,  "This is what can be done to help you" - now that really would be a great step forward, don’t you think?