Page 20 - Primary Care Audiology
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Transforming hospital services
In 2018, the Royal Preston Hospital decided it was not the
right site to fit hearing aids for age-related hearing loss.
At the time, this hearing aid service generated an income
of £1.6m for the hospital. This NHS care was transferred to
audiology providers in primary care settings.
The hospital audiology department focused its resources
on making sure patients in need of hospital care were
seen by the right person at the right time and in a cost-
effective way.
The head of audiology focused on ensuring people with
sudden hearing loss were fast-tracked to ENT. New
pathways empowered the hospital audiology team to
safely manage more people with balance and other
needs, freeing up ENT capacity for more medically
complex patients.
As a result, people with age-related hearing loss can now
access hearing care out of hospital and closer to home,
hospital audiology has upskilled, and the local NHS has
freed up 2,000 ENT appointments a year.
Source 40
20 NCHA Primary care audiology – accessible ear and hearing care for all 21
