30 September 2025

NCHA member update - 30 September

Latest news:

• Alliance agrees on standards for care
• Aural care consultation closes
• HCPC reports high drop-out rate
• Call to expand primary care audiology
• Hearing care sector ‘must look further than technology'
• Ear to the ground
• Health policy

Alliance agrees on standards for care

The Hearing Loss and Deafness Alliance has published a new document, 'Principles to inform a quality audiology pathway for adults in England', an evidence-based guide to what should inform good service development and support.

The alliance, a group of 29 organisations representing the public, independent and voluntary sectors, says that organisations should commission care around patient and population needs. Service users should be able to access hearing screening services and receive clear information about the referral processes, treatment options and follow-up. Read more.

Aural care consultation closes

Today is the deadline for responding to the consultation on the British Society of Audiology's 'Minimum training standards in aural care' document. Thank you to all members who have responded. Your feedback has shown that NCHA members are committed to ensuring patients have access to safe and effective aural care, including earwax removal.

Harjit Sandhu, chief executive of the NCHA, said: "Clearly, there are significant concerns about the current version of the standards. We will now focus on raising this constructively with colleagues, with the shared goal of getting this right for patients."

NICE recommends wax removal in primary or community care to reduce pressure on hospital departments and improve safety.

HCPC reports high drop-out rate

About 10 per cent of HCPC members leave the register within four years of joining, according to new analysis of data from the professional association, which regulates hearing aid dispensers.

The figures show lower retention rates for internationally trained registrants, with one in three of those registrants leaving our register within four years, compared to one in 20 UK-route registrants.

Bernie O'Reilly, chief executive of the HCPC, said the findings were vital for informing workforce strategies. "The retention of staff has been a long-term issue for the health and care workforce in the UK and should continue to be a top priority," he said. Read the full report.

Call to expand primary care audiology

As the party conference season continues, audiology providers have urged the government to expand primary care audiology services. They argue that these care models will benefit patients and support economic growth.
 
The NCHA advocates for bringing ear and hearing care closer to home in its policy document, 'Primary care audiology'. A new Specsavers report, 'Access to care', says that while the evidence for expanding community audiology is clear and supports the government's 10 Year Health Plan, access remains inconsistent.

Hearing care sector 'must look further than technology'

The RNID published a report, 'Hearing care reimagined: how technology can transform hearing healthcare', which suggested that better technology could tackle long waiting lists and patient dissatisfaction.
 
The NCHA said it supported the safe use of new technology. However, widening access to NHS-funded primary care audiology services was a better way to cut waiting lists, as providers had already shown they could provide timely, high-quality care. Read more in Clarity.

Ear to the ground

• Thousands of British army veterans who have tinnitus and hearing loss have begun legal action against a company for supplying allegedly faulty ear protection, the BBC reports.
• The HCPC answers registrant questions about participating in industrial action. Read more.
• Focus groups of deaf and hard of hearing children and their families list priorities for research. Read more.
• ENT & Audiology News reports on the latest research into fully implantable cochlear implants. Read more.
• Audiology Online explores the limitations of relying on speech intelligibility scores for setting hearing aid goals in this course.

Health policy

• At the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Keir Starmer announced plans for NHS Online, a "completely digital NHS trust". The government hopes the service, accessed through the NHS app, will offer more than eight million appointments in the three years after its launch in 2027. Meanwhile, Wes Streeting told the conference that Labour was committed to a public health service, free at the point of use, an NHS "back on its feet" and "fit for the future".
• Earlier in the week, the British Medical Association threatened to renew industrial action over a change in the GP contract that requires practices to keep their online booking systems open all day from 1 October. The BMA says that without safeguards the system could risk patient safety by creating "hospital-style waiting lists in general practice", The Guardian reported.
• The Health Foundation analyses the government's record on the health system so far, reviewing its pledge to treat 92% of people within 18 weeks by the end of the parliament, in a report entitled 'One year on: is the government on track to meet its waiting times pledge?'