17 September 2021

NCHA member update – 17 September

This week:

• Covid vaccine update
• New consultation on medical devices
• Hearing aid sales bounce back in US
• North Staffordshire Consultation on hearing aid provision
• NHS England reviews goals in its Long Term Plan
• AHCS and RCCP - FAQs on transfer
• HCPC - Quality of education and training
• New HCPC guidance - health and character declarations
• Cognitive assessment in older adults attending hearing aid clinics
• Mayor funds artistic projects from D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists

Covid vaccine update

The JCVI has published its advice on a Covid-19 booster vaccination. It advises that:
"Booster vaccines be offered to those more at risk from serious disease, and who were vaccinated during Phase 1 of the vaccine programme."
 
Those included are frontline health and social care workers, adults aged 50 or over, and other high-risk groups. 
 
The JCVI advises that the booster vaccine is offered "no earlier than six months after completion of the primary vaccine course" and "in the same order during Phase 1". It means staff working in care homes for older adults are in priority group 1, and all frontline health care workers are in priority group 2 (page 13).
 
At this stage, the NHS has started to prepare for rollout. For example, here's the plan for England. Once we learn more about how audiology teams book their vaccination, we will update all members.

New consultation on medical devices

The government has announced a public consultation on how medical devices are regulated across the UK, intending to have the future framework in place from July 2023.
 
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will lead the consultation. The MHRA said: "From hearing aids and walking sticks, to insulin pumps and thermometers, for many of us, medical devices are an essential part of our everyday lives."
 
The MHRA will also review how to regulate software and artificial intelligence (AI) as a medical device.
 
The consultation will close at 11.45pm on 25 November 2021. The NCHA will be working with sector partners on this consultation. If you have any feedback or would like to participate, please email us at [email protected].

Hearing aid sales bounce back in US

The US Hearing Industries Association (HIA) says hearing aid sales have substantially recovered following last year's Covid lockdowns. HIA data also reveal a significant increase in demand on pre-pandemic levels, showing a solid recovery. Read more.

North Staffordshire Consultation on hearing aid provision

NHS commissioners in Staffordshire are once again looking at how they fund NHS hearing care. In the latest round of "difficult decisions", local commissioners say they face funding pressures, need to prioritise resources and want "views about hearing loss in adults".

The NCHA will be working with the Hearing Loss and Deafness Alliance to respond to this consultation. If you have feedback, please send it to [email protected]. 

NHS England reviews goals in its Long Term Plan

The HSJ reports that senior officials at NHS England believe they cannot meet goals set out in the Long Term Plan (LTP) because funding is insufficient. The news comes following the recent funding settlement, in which the NHS budget increases by £6.5bn in 2022/23 and £3.6bn in 2023/24. NHS England sources have informed the HSJ that they "now need to review budgets and service priorities to decide which could be met".

AHCS and RCCP - FAQs on transfer

The Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS) and Registration Council for Clinical Physiologists (RCCP) have published FAQs on the transfer of the RCCP register. Read the FAQs.

HCPC - Quality of education and training

The HCPC has launched a new education quality assurance model. It said its aim was "to position the HCPC's education function to be flexible, intelligent and data-led in our quality assurance of institutions and programmes".
 
Watch a four-minute video summary of the new model and implementation plan or FAQs.

New HCPC guidance - health and character declarations

The HCPC has revised its guidance on health and character. Registrants must give the HCPC information about any changes to their health or character that might affect their ability to practise safely and effectively.
 
There are three instances in which registrants would need to provide health and character information:

• When you apply to join the Register
• When you renew your registration every two years
• At any other point where there is a change in your health or character.

Read more.

Cognitive assessment in older adults attending hearing aid clinics

The BSA seeks feedback on a short survey on cognitive assessment in older adults attending hearing aid clinics. If you use assessments in this way, researchers at UCL would be grateful if you would get in touch. Learn more.

Mayor funds artistic projects from D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has funded eight artistic projects from D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists. The projects include a sign language hip-hop drama by Bim Ajadi, which "explores the relationship between BSL, dance, football and visual vernacular".