A WORCESTERSHIRE based hospital volunteer has landed one of the highest Royal honours for her services to the deaf and hearing impaired community across the county.
Merleen Watson, who volunteers with Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, will be bestowed an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours list.
The volunteer, who has been a member of the Public and Patient Forum at the Trust since November 2023, has been recognised for her outstanding work to improve deaf awareness at the county’s hospitals, as well as her valuable work with several other organisations and charities, over the last 15 years.
Her continued work at the Trust helps to ensure the needs of hearing-impaired patients, staff and volunteers at the Alexandra, Kidderminster and Worcestershire Royal Hospitals are met, as well as helping the Trust to meet the requirements of the Accessible Information Standard.
Merleen also works as a peer support volunteer at Hearing Link and as a speaker for Hearing Dogs alongside her ‘outstanding and brilliant’ pooches – previously Grace and now Zyla.
Since 2011 they have given and been involved in over 550 talks and activities, raised more than £90,000 and spread the word about Hearing Dogs and Hearing Link to more than 15,000 people.
Between them, Grace and Zyla have encouraged the sponsorship of over 110 puppies, each trained to enable their recipient to be the very best version of themselves that they can be.
Merleen also remains committed to maintaining her links with Wychavon District Council, Healthwatch Worcestershire, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Sensory
Matters to directly support their hearing impairment and British Sign Language service users and clients. She also supports Silverstone F1 Circuit and Museum to better support hearing impaired staff and visitors, and continue to challenge non-compliance of the Equality Act 2010 for reasonable adjustments for all those with hearing impairment and access issues for Assistance Dogs.
Merleen, who started volunteering following early retirement when her own deteriorating hearing impairment proved too challenging in her work as a senior education officer, said she was stunned when the letter informing her of her honour dropped through the letterbox.
She added: “I have only been able to raise awareness, challenge, and hold people or organisations to account because of all the folk – including my husband Paul, my audiologist Tom Dixon, and the colleagues across the organisations I work with – who have encouraged, shared, challenged, supported, and helped me over the years. To all of you, a heartfelt thank you – this recognition is for all of you as well.
“There is still so much to do, particularly in the promotion of assistive technology to enhance communication in everyday situations; to encourage hearing-impaired people to get support for their hearing loss to avoid devastating health issues in later life; and encourage everyone who has a hearing aid to wear it, to enable them to reconnect with life.”
Sarah Shingler, chief nursing officer at the hospital trust championed Merleen as an ‘ambassador of positive change’.
She added: “I would like to thank her for her continued focus on improving accessibility in our hospitals. Volunteers can be unsung heroes and I was so pleased to find out Merleen has been awarded this recognition.”
