1 Introduction
The difference in hearing was remarkable, there was
just no comparison, they brought me back into the land of the
living.
Margaret Howard, digital hearing aid recipient
1. Hearing loss affects around one in seven people
in England. People with poor hearing are more likely to be isolated
socially and to suffer reduced quality of life. Fortunately, the
problem is more easily addressed today than ever before because
of the advent of digital hearing aids, which represent an enormous
improvement on older analogue aids. While they are currently more
expensive and take longer to fit, digital devices are more comfortable,
more attractive and easier to operate than the older equipment.
2. However, high demand for hearing aids has led
to long waiting times. Although precise information on numbers
of patients waiting is not available,[1]
waiting times for audiology services appear to exceed those of
most other services. In some parts of the country patients wait
more than two years to receive a hearing aid. Government waiting
time targets exclude many audiology patients.
3. The Government has taken a number of steps to
increase capacity, including negotiating contracts to purchase
treatment for NHS patients from the private sector. The first
patients will be treated under these contracts this year. However,
it is unclear whether the measures announced to date will be adequate
to reduce the waiting times to an acceptable level.
4. In view of concerns about the length of waiting
times, and the actions of the Government, we decided to undertake
a brief inquiry into audiology. Accordingly, we agreed to look
at the Government's proposals and whether they are likely be effective.
We also decided to consider what else should be done.
5. Our Terms of Reference were as follows:
- Whether accurate data on
waiting times for audiology services are available;
- Why audiology services appear to lag behind
other specialties in respect of waiting times and access and how
this can be addressed;
- Whether the NHS has the capacity to treat
the numbers of patients waiting;
- Whether enough new audiologists are being
trained; and
- How great a role the private sector should
play in providing audiology services.
6. The issues raised are of concern to many different
groups. We received 46 submissions from NHS staff, patients, recent
audiology graduates, the independent sector, regulatory bodies
and other professional groups. We held a single evidence session
in March 2007, and took evidence from an NHS audiologist, a private
provider and the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID)
in addition to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for
Health and Departmental officials.
7. As this has been a short inquiry we have focussed
on the key issue, namely the long waiting times for audiology
services. We are aware that this Committee has rarely made waiting
times the focus of its inquiries. In most situations, quality
is as great an issue. In this case, however, we received little
evidence of poor quality of care in audiology services. Given
the levels of concern, we decided to focus on the provision of
digital hearing aids and associated waiting times alone. Long
audiology waiting times are of particular importance because new
digital hearing aids are so effective and so quickly improve people's
quality of life.
8. Following the announcement of our inquiry the
Government finally published its long-awaited framework for audiology
services. Although it was not included in our original terms of
reference, we questioned the Minister about the framework and
consider it in this report.
1 The Department only has information on patients waiting
for a hearing assessment. However, the RNID told us that over
4 million people could benefit from using a hearing aid. Back
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