NCHA member update – 29 May

This week:

• Primary care audiology: member update
• Parliamentary debate on audiology
• HCPC updates data hub dashboard
• Which? compares hearing aid prices
• Strong start to the year for hearing aid sales
• ‘Test early, allow more time, simplify communication’
• Opera singer delighted with second implant
• Ears to the ground
• Health policy

Primary care audiology: member update

Here is a quick update on some of the work the NCHA team does on your behalf to deliver the goals outlined in Primary care audiology – accessible ear and hearing care for all.

A lot of work has been happening behind the scenes, including a successful pre-election push in Scotland to transform audiology services to benefit patients. This helped secure an SNP commitment to improve access to audiology services. NCHA Scotland will shift to its post-election strategy to make that a reality.

Similar work is under way across the rest of the UK.

We have been developing guidance for primary care audiology, including criteria for cochlear implant referral and tinnitus care. We are working with sector partners to finalise draft guidance for consultation. Work has also started on aural care guidance.

We will soon publish the first primary care audiology dataset and launch a consultation on the first version of Quality in Primary Care Audiology (QiPCA), a bespoke quality framework and tool for primary care audiology providers.

As part of our commitment to raising awareness of hearing loss, the NCHA hearing map is also undergoing a significant upgrade. The new version, launching this year, will give you and policymakers access to information by postcode. It will also offer additional data to help us all advocate for improved patient choice and expanded access to ear and hearing care services across the UK.

We remain committed to working in partnership with all sector organisations in everything we do. We will continue to accelerate our efforts to raise awareness of ear and hearing needs, champion primary care audiology and ensure members have the support they need to succeed. NCHA members can get involved in our work by emailing us at [email protected].

Parliamentary debate on audiology

MPs held a debate in parliament about long waits for hospital audiology appointments in the Doncaster region. Sally Jameson, MP for Doncaster Central, said the delays, some of which were up to five years, had affected thousands of people, and not just in Doncaster.

Lee Pitcher, MP for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, expressed his support for using existing high-street hearing care providers to help support recovery.

Read more in Clarity.

HCPC updates data hub dashboard

The HCPC has updated its data hub, which breaks down the number of professionals, including hearing aid dispensers, who have registered, to include more information about when and where new registrants trained.

The latest version includes data analysis showing the proportion of individuals who completed HCPC-approved education programmes in 2024 and then joined the register. Users can filter by profession. View the dashboard.

Which? compares hearing aid prices

Which? magazine has compiled survey responses from more than 3,000 hearing aid users to reveal how much people are paying for hearing aids, covering Amplifon, Boots Hearingcare, Hidden Hearing, Scrivens and Specsavers.

The consumer magazine found significant variation in prices, while acknowledging that aftercare and accessories can influence prices. Read more.

Strong start to the year for hearing aid sales

BIHIMA’s latest market report shows that hearing aid sales to the UK’s private sector rose 12.5% in the first quarter of 2026, compared to the previous quarter.

Sales to the public sector dropped in the same period but year-on-year figures showed a slight increase. Read more in Clarity.

‘Test early, allow more time, simplify communication’

Mr Kamran Saha, a Moorfields ophthalmic surgeon who runs an eye clinic for people with dementia, has highlighted the importance of sensory checks in the dementia diagnosis pathway.

In an interview for Clarity marking Dementia Action Week, he said that simple hearing and vision checks should be a routine part of dementia care, not an optional extra. Ideally this would be early on, when patients can adapt well to hearing aids or glasses.

Separately, Alzheimer’s Research UK announced a partnership with Boots Hearingcare to raise awareness of the links between hearing loss and dementia risk. It said the partnership “aimed to inspire people to look after their brain health through regular hearing checks and [by] wearing hearing devices when prescribed”.

Opera singer delighted with second implant

A deaf opera singer who hid her hearing loss for decades describes how receiving a second cochlear implant as part of a trial has been “life-changing”. The Cambridge University study results will help inform NICE guidance, which does not typically recommend bilateral implantation for adults. Read more in Clarity.

Ear to the ground

• Dr Joy Tweed has become the new vice-chair of the AHCS, having been a director since 2022. Read more.
• The BAA has won its bid to host the International Society of Audiology’s World Congress in Edinburgh, in 2028. Read more.
• Wired magazine reviews Cearvol Lite, the latest earbuds that use OTC hearing aid technology.
• A University of Michigan researcher has developed a modular wall system of 3D-printed tiles to improve speech clarity for people with hearing loss, reports The Hearing Review.
• The Deaf BBC sign language presenter Michael Woods was left stranded for hours after losing contact with his sherpa during Everest fundraising climb, reports The Telegraph.
• GN has partnered with Ampetronic for a live music event in Seoul featuring a K-pop group with hearing loss, to highlight audio accessibility, The Hearing Review reports.

Health policy news

The NHS Modernisation Bill was announced in the King’s Speech on 13 May, advancing government reforms to the NHS in England.

The Bill aims to:

• Improve patient safety and experience through a new single patient record, enabling joined-up, proactive care and empowering patients
• Put power and resources in the hands of frontline NHS organisations by abolishing NHS England and reducing national bureaucracy
• Clarify the role of local health bodies, giving them real flexibility to design and deliver health services that best meet the needs of their local populations.

Earlier this month James Murray was appointed the new health secretary, replacing Wes Streeting, who said he had lost confidence in Keir Starmer’s leadership.

Streeting’s departure came with the announcement that waiting time targets were surpassed in March, “falling by 110,000 – the biggest monthly drop outside Covid since 2008”.

Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, replaces Zubir Ahmed as parliamentary under-secretary of state for health and social care.

Mabon ap Gwynfor MS was appointed as minister for health and social care services of Wales.

The Scottish Government appointed Angela Constance as the new cabinet secretary for health and care. She replaces Neil Gray.

PSA to do right-touch assurance

The Scottish Government has commissioned the Professional Standards Authority to conduct a ‘right-touch assurance assessment’ (RTA) for healthcare science, which determines the appropriate level of oversight and regulation for professions.

The RTA will review the risks in healthcare science and how well they are managed through existing controls – for example, through employers’ arrangements for clinical governance and through the Academy for Healthcare Science’s accredited register.

The assessment will look at the whole workforce, including NHS audiologists. The Scottish Government said that no decisions had been made about whether statutory regulation should be introduced for any additional healthcare science professions. Read more.