04 March 2022

NCHA member update - 4 March

This week:

• World Hearing Day
• Hearing aid sales continue strong recovery
• CQC registration guidance
• WHO releases new standard to tackle rising threat of hearing loss
• Awards for deaf performers
• Other sector news
• Health policy update

World Hearing Day

To celebrate World Hearing Day on 3 March, NCHA issued a news story to raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis and management of hearing loss.

We also highlighted across social media channels that hearing loss is a significant and growing public health challenge in the UK.

The NCHA has developed a range of infographics, including this 'time to act on hearing loss' campaign. Members can access infographics by emailing [email protected].

Hearing aid sales continue strong recovery

BIHIMA data show that private hearing aids sales continued their strong recovery in Q4, with sales up 46% compared to 2020 and 20% vs 2019. Despite Covid-related lockdowns in 2020 and restrictions in 2021, sales were up 2% overall compared to 2019. 

The NHS also showed a recovery, with a significant increase in orders in 2021. However, overall sales between 2020 and 2021 were still down 18% compared to 2019. This means the NHS purchased 888,000 fewer hearing aids between 2020 and 2021.  

Read the full BIHIMA press release.

CQC registration guidance

The NCHA has published guidance to help members understand whether they need to register with the CQC. Read guidance.

Members can contact the NCHA for full details of listed healthcare professionals and to confirm whether they need to register with the CQC. Please email us at [email protected].

WHO releases new standard to tackle rising threat of hearing loss

WHO issued a new international standard for safe listening at venues and events. The standard applies to places and activities where amplified music is played. It seeks to tackle the rising threat of hearing loss due to prolonged and excessive exposure to loud music and other recreational sounds.

The standard is aimed at teenagers and young people at risk of hearing loss due to the unsafe use of personal audio devices and exposure to damaging sound levels at venues such as nightclubs, bars, concerts and sporting events. 

Awards for deaf performers

Rose Ayling-Ellis, EastEnders actor and winner of Strictly Come Dancing 2021, has received the 'inspirational person of the year' accolade at this year's Visionary Honours Awards. Ayling-Ellis, who is deaf, recently campaigned for British Sign Language to be made an official language in England, Wales, and Scotland.

Troy Kotsur has become the first deaf winner of an individual Screen Actors Guild award. He plays the deaf parent of a hearing teen in the coming-of-age drama Coda. His co-star, Marlee Matlin, is the only deaf performer to have won an Oscar.

Other sector news

Study on how machine learning can improve human speech recognition in the hearing impaired.

Health policy update

NHS needs to reform says Audit Scotland

Audit Scotland has said that the "Scottish Government must focus on transforming health and social care services to address the growing cost of the NHS and its recovery from Covid-19". It warns of significant challenges ahead, with "competing demands of the pandemic and an increasing number of other policy initiatives, including plans for a National Care Service".

Stephen Boyle, auditor general for Scotland, said: "There's now a clear opportunity to do things differently by building on the innovation and collaboration we've seen across the NHS in the last few years". He added that this needs NHS leadership to "shift from care being delivered in hospitals to much closer to people's homes". Read more