17 January 2025

NCHA responds to government policy statement on hearing aids in the UK

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published a policy statement on hearing aids in the UK.

The statement provides case studies on how some people will be able to self-manage their hearing loss within the existing regulatory framework in the UK. DHSC states its goals are to ensure "regulations both protect patient safety while improving access to innovative technologies".

A DHSC press release which accompanies the policy statement states this "fresh guidance will give businesses the green light to sell certain pioneering hearing aids", while making clear that people should continue to seek help from a healthcare professional if they have concerns about their ear and hearing health.

As the Association for Primary Care Audiology Providers, we published our position statement on innovation and self-management in 2021. In this statement we set out how we would continue to champion patients' rights and support all clinical and service innovations that advance safety, effectiveness, and patient and public benefit - including self-management and choice and innovations in ear and hearing technologies that improve outcomes for patients and advance audiology as a therapeutic science.

We remain committed to ensuring everybody has timely access to safe and effective ear and hearing care, including self-management options when the evidence supports it. In this context, we agree with DHSC that its latest statement should be read in conjunction with existing regulations -  Health Professions Order 2001 as amended by the Health Professions (Hearing Aid Dispensers) Order 2010 and Regulating medical devices in the UK.

This latest news is a small step in meeting the nation's ear and hearing health needs in new ways. However, with a major waiting time crisis in NHS ENT and audiology, it is clear existing models of NHS care will not meet population needs in a safe or sustainable way and more innovation in our NHS is necessary to best serve patient needs.

That is why we believe a more important step is for the government to apply its three big shifts - hospital to community, analogue to digital and sickness to prevention - to NHS ear and hearing care. This can best be done by extending an NHS primary care audiology service across all ICB areas to empower millions of people to access more timely care based on their needs and choices in more convenient and cost-effective ways. Doing so will also help individuals, the NHS and economy mitigate the risks and costs associated with unaddressed hearing loss.