NCHA member update – 25 September

Latest news:

• NCHA launches new strategy
• NCHA infographic highlights role of primary care audiology
• NICE looks at efficacy of self-directed audiometry
• HCPC publishes revised training standards
• BIHIMA campaign encourages early intervention
• Market data shows drop in hearing aid sales
• New research supports hearing aids for mild to moderate losses
• People with hearing loss still find public transport inaccessible
• Ears to the ground
• Health policy

NCHA launches new strategy

A new strategy from the NCHA, the Association for Primary Care Audiology Providers, outlines the policy priorities it will pursue to give patients better access to ear and hearing care in their local communities.

The strategy describes three high-level commitments to the sector:

• Make it matter – by raising the profile of ear and hearing health
• Make it work – by promoting audiology as a primary care service
• Make it secure – by protecting patient access to ear and hearing care.

Michael Guthrie, director of policy and regulation, said: “We will build awareness of the impact and inequalities of unaddressed ear conditions and hearing loss, promote the importance of hearing care in addressing population health needs and advocate for both self-funded and NHS-funded primary care audiology.”

Read more.

NCHA infographic highlights role of primary care audiology

As part of its strategy, the NCHA has also published its first primary care audiology dataset, providing a clear picture of the scope and scale of the ear and hearing care services NCHA members deliver for patients across the UK.

We encourage members to read and download the dataset, which shows, among other things, that:

• Members deliver care at more than 2,700 high-street audiology locations across the UK and deliver domiciliary care across the UK
• 97% of patients are treated within 12 weeks of booking their appointment
• There were more than 3.6 million patient contacts across member practices, and more than 475,000 people were fitted with hearing aids.

NICE looks at efficacy of self-directed audiometry

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published its scope for assessing ‘Self-directed automated audiometry for the diagnosis or monitoring of hearing loss in adults’.

NICE will assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of technologies that allow adults to carry out an automated diagnostic hearing test themselves, with the aim of supporting hearing loss diagnosis. It says “these technologies could help to reduce wait times in audiology and enable faster access to diagnosis, hearing aids and other interventions”.

The HealthTech assessment seeks to help improve access to care. NCHA is a registered stakeholder and will continue to monitor its progress closely.

NICE expects to publish its guidance on 6 May 2027.

HCPC publishes revised training standards

HCPC has published revised standards of education and training, which will start in September 2027. The changes include a clearer structure, stronger requirements on equality, diversity and inclusion, and greater focus on the ethical and effective use of technology, including AI.

Education providers will need to review their programmes against the revised standards and make any necessary changes before their introduction. The revised standards strengthen requirements across all learning environments, from classroom-based through to practice-based and remote learning settings.

Read more in Clarity.

BIHIMA campaign encourages early intervention

The British Irish Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (BIHIMA) Red Flags for Hearing Loss campaign focuses on helping people recognise the early signs of hearing loss so they can act.

BIHIMA has also produced a campaign video with degraded audio to reflect what it feels like not to be able to hear speech clearly. The film and other campaign assets are free for members to download.

Read more in Clarity.

Market data shows drop in hearing aid sales

Hearing aid sales to the public and private markets in the UK and Ireland fell in the second quarter of 2026, BIHIMA reported. In the UK, private hearing instrument sales fell 16.8% to 121,067 units, down from the first quarter. Sales to the NHS totalled 414,687 units, down 9.3% from the previous quarter.

Read more in Clarity.

New research supports hearing aids for mild to moderate losses

A systematic review looking at the efficacy of hearing aids has shown that they make a substantial difference to the everyday lives of adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.

The updated Cochrane review found that, compared with people who did not use hearing aids, those who did were better able to participate in activities, listen and communicate. The review of 16 studies involving 2,261 adults found no high-quality evidence showing that hearing aids made any difference to loneliness. Because of gaps in research the effects on working memory were unclear. The authors recommended ways to improve future research methods and support future systematic reviews.

People with hearing loss still find public transport inaccessible

The RNID’s new report, Clear Signals, finds that people who are deaf or have hearing loss feel stressed and anxious when they use public transport, with many avoiding it altogether. The report calls for improved audio-visual passenger information systems, audio announcements made accessible through streaming technology and, where possible, BSL translation.

Read more in Clarity.

Ear to the ground

• The Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS) has today published an updated STP Equivalence Applicant Guidance Document supporting the launch of a new digitalised application process.
• HCPC joins other healthcare regulators to publish a whistleblowing report. Read more.
• The Hearing Journal explores the cost of ‘free’ hearing tests and whether offering complimentary services undermines their importance.
• Can automated speech testing improve diagnosis and rehabilitation? ENT & Audiology News looks at the evidence.
• Boots introduces a new sound therapy device for everyday tinnitus management. Read more.
• Auditdata, which makes practice management software, has appointed Christoffer Spangenberg as its chief executive officer. Read more.
• More than 40% of people referred for NHS hearing tests are still waiting six weeks or more despite a slight decrease on last year. Read more in Clarity.
• The BSA is seeking new members for its Professional Guidance group, which coordinates the production of documents before final sign-off. Find out more.
• The British Academy of Audiology annual conference will take place on 29 and 30 October at the Liverpool Experience Campus. Register here.
• The Guardian explores how distressing it can be to live with tinnitus – and what can be done about it. Read more.

Health policy news

MPs launch primary care report

MPs have launched a report on NHS primary care that recognises services other than general practice, including audiology, as integral to any plans to tackle access and unmet need.

The NCHA gave written evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group’s inquiry that led to the publication of First Point of Care: A Plan for a Better NHS Front Door through Connected Primary Care, which was launched at an event in Westminster this month.

In a section on building a sustainable primary care system, the report describes how the patchwork commissioning of NHS-funded primary care services means that a pathway for treating patients out of hospital is not always available. “Primary care audiology, commissioned across a whole Integrated Care Board area in only around 30 per cent of cases, is the same problem in a sharper form,” it says.

Michael Guthrie, the NCHA’s director of regulation and policy, said: “Our members are working where commissioned to provide essential NHS ear and hearing care. Working at the heart of communities, they play a vital role in shifting care closer to home. We are pleased to see our contributions included in the final report, which offers some thoughtful reflections on how we can improve access to primary care.”

Read more in Clarity.

Liberal Democrats’ vision for primary healthcare

The Liberal Democrat conference this week endorsed a “patient-centred, preventive primary care system that sits at the heart of a transformed NHS”. Helen Maguire, spokesperson for primary care who moved the motion, noted that only 26% of people were satisfied with the NHS, with most expecting it to get worse in the next five years.

The paper includes a proposal for “high street providers to deliver eye and ear care closer to home, including glaucoma monitoring, cataract pathways, urgent minor eye care, hearing aid fittings and minor ear infection treatment, reducing unnecessary GP and hospital appointments and helping people stay independent for longer”.

Read A Liberal Vision for Primary Healthcare – Liberal Democrats

Scotland renews commitment to community audiology

The Scottish minister for community care has committed to improving audiology services in Scotland, where some people wait more than a year for treatment.

NCHA Scotland has been working with MSPs for several years, with growing support to deliver more care closer to home. NCHA Scotland also attended a recent meeting with the minister, heads of service and other stakeholders to start discussing how the SNP would deliver on its manifesto commitment to transform audiology. At the meeting, the minister confirmed she would focus on delivering an NHS audiology improvement plan. NCHA Scotland continues to play an active role in helping improve access to timely ear and hearing care for all.

Read more in Clarity.

Scotland to drastically reduce number of health boards

John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, has confirmed plans to cut the number of mainland health boards from 11 to 2, merging boards to create one for the east of Scotland and one for the west, the BBC reported.

Setting out his programme for government, Mr Swinney called the move “the most significant structural reform of our NHS in the devolution era”. Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles have separate plans.

The Scottish government has also published its Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031, which promises “whole-system collaboration to deliver services closer to home”.