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14 March 2025
NCHA responds to government plans to abolish NHS England
The Prime Minister has announced plans to abolish NHS England as part of a wider shake-up of public service bureaucracy and obstacles to change.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said the radical move would free up frontline NHS leaders to innovate by developing new, productive ways of working to deliver better care for patients.
As the association for primary care audiology providers, we hope that the government's plans will streamline the delivery of healthcare and access to NHS-funded ear and hearing care across England.
The NCHA agrees with the health secretary's comments that "more radical reform is needed", especially to deliver Lord Darzi's recommendations and the government's three main goals for health service reform: hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention.
Delivering these reforms in ear and hearing care, by ensuring that all NHS patients can access primary care audiology close to home in all areas of England, will significantly reduce long waits for hospital audiology and ENT services and end the current postcode lottery and variability in ear and hearing care. It will also release blocked NHS funds.
The NCHA will continue to work with the Department of Health and Social Care, the government's new leadership structure, ICBs and sector stakeholders to bring about this long-overdue improvement in the ear and hearing care pathway.
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Notes for Editors
This statement is in response to the government announcement on 13 March 2025:
1. World's largest quango scrapped under reforms to put patients first
2. NHS England: Health and Social Care Secretary's statement
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/nhs-england-health-and-social-care-secretarys-statement
About us
The NCHA is the association for primary care audiology providers. Our members deliver more than 70% of primary care audiology and most out of hospital NHS audiology in England. We exist to improve ear and hearing care for all. We are also proud members of the Hearing Loss and Deafness Alliance, made up of 29 organisations spanning the voluntary and independent sectors and professionals working in the NHS.
Contact us - email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 7298 5110
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