03 April 2025

NCHA response to NHS Scotland’s Operational Improvement Plan

The Scottish Government has published its NHS Scotland Operational Improvement Plan. As the first of three documents to be released on the government's approach to health and social care renewal, it sets out the priority actions to improve NHS delivery.

As the representative body for primary care audiology in Scotland, the omission of ear and hearing services in this plan is a significant concern.

Almost one million adults in Scotland are affected by hearing loss and it is one of the leading causes of years lived with disability. But many people face long waits to receive care, due to the lack of available hospital appointments.

These waits are debilitating for patients. Unsupported hearing loss has a huge impact on people's ability to communicate with their family, friends and colleagues, with many feeling depressed, lonely and isolated, and even unable to work.

NHS audiology is a service with the most potential to shift the balance of care at scale and reduce the cost per patient pathway. It is therefore very disappointing that the Scottish Government continues to deprioritise this service, missing out on the huge benefits that a shift to primary care audiology would bring for patients and the NHS.

If the government is truly committing to 'reducing hospital delays' and 'improving flow through the system' as the plan states, there is an urgent need to prioritise audiology transformation. The renewal of healthcare in Scotland should be one in which the nation's ear and hearing care needs are on the same footing as its eye and vision care needs.

Colin Campbell, the chair of NCHA Scotland, says:

"This plan is sadly a repeat of the lack of prioritisation afforded to Scottish citizens' ear and hearing needs, and the increasingly unsustainable strain this growing need will have on GPs and hospitals.

"The solution is well evidenced and clear: a partnership with primary care audiology, which already has the workforce, infrastructure, capacity and technology, would deliver the care that NHS patients need and deserve. And it will meet the needs of Scotland's ageing population in a more sustainable and cost-effective way for the NHS."