Page 7 - Primary Care Audiology

Widespread support for change

Just as with Modernising Hearing Aid Services (MHAS) in the early
2000s, the need for a universally accessible and equitable ear
and hearing care service, as the population ages, has long been
supported by patients, patient representatives, NGOs, politicians
from all parties and successive governments. Yet, progress in
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reducing reliance on the hospital model of care and delivering
better access to primary care audiology has been painfully slow.

Demographic change and unsustainable pressure on the hospital-
based model of care now means that the population’s ear and
hearing care needs are not being met in a timely, sustainable or
safe way. This is not the fault of frontline clinical teams but the
result of the lack of priority afforded by health systems to the
nation’s ear and hearing health needs over generations.
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After many attempts to patch over historical structural weaknesses
in ear and hearing care provision, it is time to meet the challenges
head-on and remodel audiology services to focus on patient needs
and wishes in the modern world.

These growing needs can best be met through an integrated
primary care audiology service, making optimal use of all workforce
capacity and resources to drive better outcomes for more people
and, by so doing, significantly increase quality-adjusted life years
(QALYs) and reduce years lived with disability (YLD).

Primary care audiology – accessible ear and hearing care for all 7