Two-year wait for NHS hearing aids

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The House of Commons Health Committee said that not enough priority had been given to the supply of new-style digital hearing aids by the Government or local Primary Care Trusts.

And the committee said it was "surprised" that the authorities failed to anticipate a surge in demand after the introduction of the digital devices, which are far superior to older analogue aids.

About one in seven people in England - around 7 million in total - are affected by hearing loss, but the NHS is currently able to supply and fit digital aids to only about 500,000 adults a year, said the report, entitled Audiology Services.

It called for extra NHS capacity to clear the backlog and raised concerns over evidence that many NHS-trained audiologists are unable to find jobs.

The committee said that audiology should be added, as soon as possible, to the list of health services covered by the Government's target to cut waiting times from referral to treatment to 18 weeks by December 2008.

Because the target currently covers only consultant-led services, there was evidence that GPs were referring patients unnecessarily to ear, nose and throat specialists purely as a means of getting them hearing aids more quickly.

A new Government framework called Improving Audiology Services in England, published in March, added little to existing policy, said the committee.

The report urged the Department of Health to exercise caution in involving the private sector in provision of hearing aid services, recommending that only short-term contracts should be awarded until the companies had shown they were capable of maintaining levels of care.

And the committee urged the Department to fix a national tariff for audiology, to ensure the NHS gets good value for money from private-sector contracts. Many private groups, including High Street opticians, are understood to be keen to supply and fit hearing aids, and the first patients will be treated under NHS contracts with the private sector this year.