19 December 2025

NCHA member update – 19 December

This month:

• Season's Greetings
• Feedback on consultations
• Welsh government launches future approach to audiology
• Panel criticises commissioning of audiology
• NHS England waiting list figures
• Teenagers show high prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss
• Novel sound therapy could relieve tinnitus
• Ear to the ground

Season's Greetings

Thank you for your continued support this year. We wish you all a joyful festive break and a Happy New Year.
 
A reminder that our operating hours for the Christmas and New Year period are:

• 25-26 December: Closed
• 1 January: Closed

Members who need support outside hours should email [email protected]. We will respond within 48 hours and provide a contact number if your query is urgent and requires a same-day response.
 
NCHA news will return on 30 January. As always, if any vital matter arises, we will send an update as soon as possible.

This year, instead of sending Christmas cards, we are donating to Hearing Dogs.

Feedback on consultations

The NCHA has joined FODO, the association for eye care providers, in responding to consultations on the NHS Payment Scheme and the NHS Standard Contract.

Welsh government launches future approach to audiology

The Welsh Government has published a document entitled 'Future approach for audiology services in Wales'. It says the plan will improve timely access to hearing services in primary and community care, taking pressure off hospital audiology and ENT departments.
 
The Government strategy prioritises building a highly skilled audiology workforce capable of working across primary, community and secondary care, with proposals for pathways related specifically to wax management and dementia patients.

The document focuses on improving access to care through NHS provision in the community, while its 'vision for the future' section mentions "considering opportunities for independent prescribing practice". Read the document.

The NCHA policy team is currently analysing the plan. If you have feedback or questions, please email [email protected].

Panel criticises commissioning of audiology

An independent panel has concluded that an NHS integrated care board in London failed to demonstrate compliance with procurement regulations when it awarded a contract to an incumbent community audiology provider.
 
The review, launched after a challenge from Scrivens and Specsavers, found that the ICB had failed to produce adequate documentation and amending documents after the contract decision, which the ICB denied. Read more in Clarity.

NHS England waiting list figures

The last diagnostic test and waiting times data of the year showed that the tests with the largest proportional increase in activity were audiology assessments, with an average monthly growth of 0.9% in October 2025 compared with October 2024.
 
However, the proportion of patients waiting for six weeks or more for their first assessment increased by a percentage point in the same period to 42%. The NHS operational standard specifies that 99% of patients should have their hearing test within six weeks of the decision to refer.

Teenagers show high prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss

A study of Dutch teenagers found high rates of hearing loss among adolescents: 6.2% experienced sensorineural hearing loss and 12.9% showed signs of noise-induced damage by 18 years of age, The Hearing Review reports.
 
The study's authors are from the department of otorhinolaryngology and head and neck surgery at Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam. They said: "These findings highlight the importance of early monitoring and prevention, as even mild changes in hearing during adolescence may have long-term consequences."

Novel sound therapy could relieve tinnitus

Researchers at Newcastle University have created a new form of sound therapy that "reduces the loudness of tinnitus and has the potential to be delivered online using everyday devices like smartphones".
 
Participants listened to sounds that the researchers tailored to their tinnitus levels for an hour daily over six weeks. In a blinded, randomised online trial involving 77 participants, they found that there was typically a 10% reduction in tinnitus that lasted for three weeks after the therapy ended, suggesting the potential for long-term benefits. Read more.

Ear to the ground

• German hearing aid wearer says it's time to stop the promotion of invisible hearing aids, as it does nothing to improve stigma. Read more.
• UCL Ear Institute offers CPD courses for audiologists and association hearing care professionals.
• Academic explains why hearing aids, however good they are, will never restore normal auditory perception. Read more.
• Bayfields delves into why festivities can be challenging for people with hearing impairment. Read more.
• Woman with hearing loss tells The Guardian how she knew she had met the right man when he presented her with an unusual gift.