13 June 2017

Milton Keynes decides against rationing NHS hearing care

Following a public consultation, Milton Keynes has decided not to proceed with proposals to ration NHS hearing care.

Dr Nicola Smith, Chair, NHS Milton Keynes, said:

“We have carefully considered all of the responses and taken into consideration all the feedback that we have received. After listening to the views of patients and other stakeholders about the current adult hearing service, we have decided not to limit the availability of the service but will instead improve the way we commission the service to achieve cost-effectiveness and quality of services.”

Commenting on the news, Harjit Sandhu, Director of Policy, NCHA, said:

“We welcome this news, which, based on our own analysis was the only possible outcome. This is a good result for patients, the NHS and taxpayers. We would urge all other commissioners to achieve available efficiency savings before proceeding to public consultations on rationing access to NHS care. The NCHA is on hand to help”.

If you are a commissioner looking for more information, please contact [email protected].