25 October 2024

NCHA member update - 25 October

This week:

• Pilot begins for national eye and hearing study
• Audiology failings behind poor diagnostics performance
• Children with special needs to receive eye and ear checks
• BSA consults on patient-centred care
• NIHR seeks feedback on primary hearing care
• HCPC news
• Tube drivers put on the brakes in protest at noise levels
• Deaf artistic director to receive top British theatre award
• Ears to the ground
• Health policy

Pilot begins for national eye and hearing study

Researchers have launched a pilot study to update statistics on the prevalence of sensory loss among over-50s in the UK.
 
The UK National Eye Health and Hearing Study (UKNEHS), sponsored by the RNID, Deafblind UK and other charities, will produce data that commissioners can use to plan future services, improve outcomes and develop health strategies.
 
Care home residents and 750 randomly selected individuals aged 50 or older will have a sensory assessment and answer questionnaires. The researchers will then scale the process to involve 25,000 participants in a national study. Read the full story. 

Audiology failings behind poor diagnostics performance

The Hertfordshire and West Essex (HWE) integrated care system (ICS) has blamed audiology delays at one of its trusts for poor performance in diagnostic testing.
 
According to an analysis by the Health Service Journal, HWE is one of just three ICSs responsible for nearly a quarter of 13-week waits for diagnostic tests.
 
The HSJ reported that the East and North Hertfordshire Trust had to pause audiology services after an NHS England national review into children's audiology services said it required improvement. Read the full story. 

Children with special needs to receive eye and ear checks

NHS England has announced that children with special needs who attend residential schools will have free annual ear and eye tests.
 
Eyesight and hearing problems are more common in children with a learning disability, and these children can find it harder to report problems with their hearing or sight. NHS England said it had introduced checks to help with early identification, so that children could get the care and support they needed as soon as possible. Read the full report. 

BSA consults on patient-centred care

The British Society of Audiology has opened a consultation on new practice guidance on the Guiding Principles of Person-centred care in Adult Hearing Rehabilitation.
 
The society's rehabilitation special interest group is seeking feedback from a diverse range of stakeholders.
 
The recommendations include guidance on building trust between professionals and their patients/clients, continuity of care, support for family members, informed decision-making and attention to physical needs.
 
We encourage members to provide their comments. Links to the consultation, which closes on 9 December, can be found here. 

NIHR seeks feedback on primary hearing care

Researchers at the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre are asking professionals and service users for their views on primary care services for adults living with hearing loss, tinnitus and balance disorders. The research focuses on primary care services in GP surgeries, dental practices and pharmacies. They aim to inform strategies and solutions to improve these services in the future.
 
They seek the views of:

• Audiologists and other hearing health professionals
• Professionals from research, primary care, social care and charities
• People living with hearing conditions and their families.

To participate in this survey, follow this link. The closing date is 30 November. 

HCPC news

The HCPC has agreed to increase annual registration fees by £6.98 to £123.34 and other fees by an equivalent amount. If approved by the UK and Scottish parliaments, the rise would start for most professions in 2026 or 2027.
 
In a move aimed at helping members claim tax relief, the HCPC has also made changes that allow registrants to download a payment receipt at the click of a button. Read more. 

Tube drivers put on the brakes in protest at noise levels

Tube drivers plan to reduce their speed on certain sections of the track due to their exposure to high noise levels.
 
RMT union members voted to take action after Transport for London confirmed that recent noise levels experienced by drivers on the Victoria line had "exceeded the legal limit", the BBC reported.
 
The union described the noise levels as "extremely uncomfortable and distressing for drivers". Aslef, another union, said the noise concerns also affected sections of the Central, Northern and Jubilee lines.
 
London Underground has said it would deploy more engineers to 60 sites on the Victoria line until February to grind pitted rails that could be the cause of the high noise levels. 

Deaf artistic director to receive top British theatre award

Jenny Sealey, the artistic director of Graeae Theatre Company, which puts Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists at the centre of its productions, has received the Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre Award 2024.
 
Sealey became Deaf after a childhood accident and went on to train in dance and choreography. Her work, which experiments with bilingual BSL and English, pre-recorded BSL, creative captioning and in-ear live audio description, has influenced mainstream productions worldwide.

Ears to the ground

• BIHIMA has launched its 2024 survey of audiologists to gather information on hot topics for the sector's patients and professionals. Get involved.
• Professors Kevin Munro and Piers Dawes discuss personal versus population risk in relation to headlines linking dementia and hearing loss. Read more.
• Audiology World News talks to the big high-street names about workforce pressures in audiology.
• The Demant healthcare company has announced the closure of The Ida Institute, which, for many years, has led the field in person-centred hearing healthcare.
• Are earplugs finally cool? The Guardian reports on the rise of ear protection marketed as jewellery.

Health policy

Government consults on 10-year plan to fix NHS
 
The Government has launched a consultation for its 10-year NHS plan to help build a service "fit for the future".
 
To encourage a national conversation, the Government has opened an online portal called Change NHS, which seeks the views of health and care staff and the public on the current state of the health service. The NCHA encourages members to share their views, experiences and ideas. The portal will close on 2 December.
 
The move follows Lord Ara Darzi's independent review of the health system, which described the health service as in a critical condition due to a £37 billion capital spending gap and resources not being spent in the correct places.
 
Chair of NHS England resigns
 
Richard Meddings, the chair of NHS England, has announced his resignation after talks with the health secretary Wes Streeting, the Health Service Journal reported.
 
In a message to staff, seen by the HSJ, Mr Meddings said: "As I approach three years in the role and having had discussions with the health secretary about what the NHS and social care will need over the next 10 years to make the shift to prevention, primary and community care a reality, I have decided that now is the right time for me to step down as chair."
 
The journal reported that it understood the Government wanted someone else to help deliver its reform agenda.
 
Report reveals CQC failings
 
The interim chair of the Care Quality Commission is to leave the organisation after what she described as "an intensely challenging experience".
 
Kate Terroni, who took over from Ian Trenholm when he left the CQC suddenly last summer, said in a statement that she had decided not to apply for a permanent role, which has been given to Sir Julian Hartley, the chief executive of NHS Providers.
 
Her announcement follows a report into the operational effectiveness of the Care Quality Commission has found significant failings in operational effectiveness that contributed to "lost credibility" in the health and social care sectors.
 
The report by Dr Penny Dash, chair of North West London ICB, recommends that the commission rapidly improve its operational performance, fix its data infrastructure, improve the quality of its reports and make ratings more transparent, among other suggestions.