30 August 2024

NCHA member update - 30 August

This week:

• Dementia report calls for better hearing aid access
• Alliance publishes short guide to commissioning hearing care
• BAA shares views on the future of NHS hearing care
• Mixed results for hearing aid sales
• Hearing loss ‘affects long-term earnings'
• Free tool for privacy notices
• Ears to the ground
• Health policy news

Dementia report calls for better hearing aid access

Experts say that hearing loss remains a leading modifiable risk factor for dementia.
 
The latest Lancet Commission report on dementia states that using "hearing aids appears to be particularly effective in people with hearing loss and additional risk factors for dementia". It calls for hearing aids to be more accessible for people with hearing loss and to reduce harmful noise exposure. Read the full story.

Alliance publishes short guide to commissioning hearing care

The Hearing Loss and Deafness Alliance, spanning 29 organisations across the voluntary, state and independent sectors, has published a summary document entitled 'Meeting Local Hearing Health Needs: A Guide for Integrated Care Systems'.
 
The alliance says commissioners and providers who follow the guidance "can be assured that they will be following best practice requirements to ensure that hearing health is promoted and hearing loss is addressed within health systems, improving lives and saving the NHS money".

BAA shares views on the future of NHS hearing care

Following significant concerns raised about NHS audiological care in England and Scotland, the British Academy of Audiology (BAA) has released a position statement that shares its views on the future of NHS hearing care.
 
The BAA feels audiological care is best provided by existing NHS services while acknowledging that "waiting lists in some areas are a concern" and that "there is currently a variation in the quality of services in the NHS".
 
Harjit Sandhu, CEO of The Association for Primary Care Audiology Providers, said: "We agree with the BAA that all UK governments should invest more in NHS audiology and take hearing loss more seriously. So, we published Primary care audiology - accessible ear and hearing care for all in March. It describes how patients, the NHS and the wider economy will benefit from transforming how care is delivered. This includes empowering NHS patients to access care closer to home, free at the point of use, in a timely manner from regulated healthcare professionals."
 
He added: "NHS evidence shows that early diagnosis and support for hearing loss is cost-effective. NHS evidence also reveals that empowering patients with a choice of provider has helped the NHS improve transparency, accountability and value for money. As hearing loss is now a major and growing public health challenge, it is essential that we follow the evidence of what works and put patients first in all that we do."

Mixed results for hearing aid sales

Second-quarter results from the British Irish Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association show a mixed picture, in which NHS hearing aid sales increased year on year, but private sales fell. Read the full story.

Hearing loss 'affects long-term earnings'

People with hearing loss experience a significantly slower growth in salaries than their normal-hearing counterparts, according to a new study published in the Ear and Hearing journal.
 
The Norwegian HUNT study compared the earnings of thousands of 20 to 40-year-olds, tracking their pay over 20 years.
 
They found that, based on the results of pure-tone audiometry, those with hearing loss had a significantly smaller increase in annual earnings over the 20-year follow-up period compared to their peers without hearing loss, even when adjusted for age, sex and education.
 
The findings support the need for increased intervention and hearing support in the workplace.

Free tool for privacy notices

The ICO has created a quick and easy-to-use tool to help small organisations create bespoke privacy notices for customers or suppliers, protecting people's information rights. The tool is designed for many sectors, including healthcare. Practice owners can learn more about using the privacy notice generator.

Ears to the ground

• The HCPC revised standards of performance, conduct and ethics have come into effect. They outline how the HCPC expects registrants to behave. Read more.
• RNID shares three ideas for the future of hearing health, including remote hearing tests and self-fitting hearing aids.
• Mia le Roux has become the first deaf person to be crowned Miss South Africa. "I never thought someone like me could become Miss South Africa," she told the BBC in an interview describing the challenges she had to overcome. Watch the interview.  
• The BAA and BSA have jointly published new guidance on Minimum Paediatric Discharge Criteria for children older than six months.
• High-street audiologist launches 'OK hearing is not OK' campaign.
• BBC Proms anniversary rendition of Beethoven's ninth symphony, featuring the signed 'Ode to Joy', puts the composer's hearing loss centre-stage. Watch the video.

Health policy news

Covid-19 vaccination programme for autumn 2024

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has published a statement on the Covid-19 vaccination programme for autumn 2024.
 
It shows how, with high population immunity to Covid-19, the case for vaccinating all health and care workers is "less evident" now than previously. Therefore, the JCVI states it:

• "does not advise an offer of Covid-19 vaccination within the autumn 2024 national Covid-19 vaccination programme for frontline health and social care workers..."

Instead, it recommends targeting Covid vaccines to the identified risk groups. Read the statement in full.
 
Proposals to radically transform NHS care in England

The Tony Blair Institute has published Preparing the NHS for the AI Era, a report detailing the case for "a digital overhaul of the NHS, centred on creating a comprehensive digital health record for every citizen to leverage AI and improve healthcare delivery".

It highlights that the pan-UK NHS budget is now £225 billion and accounts for 43% of all day-to-day spending in government department budgets and how NHS spend has "outpaced GDP growth for some time". However, it acknowledges that a lack of investment in capital infrastructure has impacted NHS productivity.

The report recommends a cultural and operational shift in how the NHS uses data, and states "choice of provider can also be a powerful driver of innovation adoption in primary care". It calls for more focus on prevention.

Meanwhile, the King's Fund think tank has produced a Top 10 list of ways the Government can boost morale in the NHS and make it a more attractive workplace. The action plan includes tips on tackling poor working conditions, retaining staff, and valuing high-quality managers.