The team at Community Health Partnerships (CHP) supported a highly successful Hearing Open Day held at One Life Hartlepool. The event was run by the audiology team from North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust (NTH) and saw over 120 members of the public receive hearing screenings and expert advice.
Held on 29 October 2025, the open day was a resounding success, demonstrating a strong commitment to community wellbeing and preventative health measures. For CHP, supporting this event aligns with the NHS 10 Year Plan’s focus on prevention, ensuring local communities have access to screening and proactive care. Two CHP staff volunteered at the Open Day supporting the Audiology NHS Trust staff, external advisory and charitable organisations, and all the visitors.
A Day of Support and Education
More than 18 million people in the UK are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.
The audiology staff invited external organisations from across the region to offer comprehensive support and advice to people with hearing concerns for themselves or family members. Activities included:
- Free hearing screenings
- Hearing aid maintenance advice
- Demonstrating Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA) diagnostics for infants and children up to age three.
- Experts were on hand to discuss hearing loss and other auditory disorders.
We knew that we wanted to organise an open day to ensure we were doing all we could to support our local community with their hearing-related concerns. We were all overwhelmed by how well attended our open day was. We managed to see over 120 members of the public with our hearing screening offer and were able to offer support and advice on topics such as hearing aid maintenance. We were also really pleased and have to say a big thank you to all the great external groups and organisations at hand to offer advice, support and information to our patients and members of the public.
External organisations and charities attending the open day included:
- National Deaf Children’s Society (www.ndcs.org.uk)
- Action Deafness Durham (www.actiondeafness.org.uk)
- Phonak Hearing Aids
- Sarabec Hearing Equipment
- Deaf Empowering Network (www.deafemp.com)
- Sensory Teaching Advisory and Resource service (STARS) funded by Middlesbrough Council
- RNID (www.rnid.org.uk)
The successful open day at One Life Hartlepool underscores the value of partnerships between NHS Trusts and CHP in delivering healthcare services in modern, adaptable, accessible health centres in the heart of local neighbourhoods.
CHP Staff Volunteer to Support the Hartlepool Community
In line with CHP’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, Stephen Woodward (Operations and Relationship Manager for One Life Hartlepool) and Emma Reeve (NE Property and Operations Administrator) volunteered their time at the audilogy open day.
They assisted the audiology team and external organisations with logistics, welcomed attendees, and helped ensure the event ran smoothly.
Health awareness sessions, such as the Audiology Open Day at One Life Hartlepool, are more than educational—they play a vital role in strengthening community wellbeing. CHP buildings sit at the heart of local communities, offering accessible spaces where people can learn, connect, and take proactive steps toward healthier lives. By bringing health knowledge closer to where people live, we continue to empower communities to thrive.
It was great to be a part of something close to my heart, as my partner suffers with Tinnitus. It was great to have the opportunity to network with the various organisations attending on the day, and to obtain some useful tips and knowledge. It has inspired me further to look at undertaking a beginners British Sign Language (BSL) course.
CHP support for Staff Volunteering
Every CHP employee has two days of volunteering leave per year, that they can use to help various causes, from charity Christmas activities, supporting health and wellbeing events, to helping create beautiful gardens at our buildings. CHP’s is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of the communities served by its healthcare centres.
Buildings at the Heart of the Community
CHP’s Buildings at the Heart of the Community initiative aims to maximise the social value of its health care estate by encouraging local community groups and charities to use the centres for health and well-being events, directly supporting the NHS 10 Year Plan’s focus on prevention. This approach ensures CHP buildings, like One Life Hartlepool, act as neighbourhood health hubs. There have been 965 community and pop-up events hosted nationally so in 2025/26, including 127 events in the North East and Yorkshire, demonstrating a strong commitment to local engagement and preventative care in the region.
About One Life Hartlepool Medical Centre
Community Health Partnerships is the Head Tenant for One Life Hartlepool (OLH), one of 308 LIFT healthcare buildings across England, with the building owned by Durham and Tees Community Ventures Ltd (LIFTCo). OLH, which opened in 2010, is a three-storey, 6,400m2 healthcare facility providing diverse health services for the local community in Hartlepool.
There are three GP practices based at OLH. Current services at One Life Hartlepool include podiatry, respiratory services, musculoskeletal teams, diabetic clinics, eye screening, and audiology services, as well as a community speech and language service. There is also an X-ray on site. There is also a specialist dental service for patients with complex needs, serving the local community.
As with most CHP buildings, bookable rooms are available for sessional services and there are also two large meeting rooms. The health centre has good transport links and is a busy neighbourhood hub for the local community.
One Life Hartlepool is now fully utilised.
AccessAble Guide: One Life Hartlepool Medical Centre
One Life Hartlepool News
Get support from CHP
Get in touch with your CHP Regional Director and regional Property and Operations team to find out how they can support diagnostic services at CHP buildings providing high-quality, modern, core NHS facilities for patients in their local communities.
