New report visions transformative hearing health role for community audiology
Leading audiology researcher Professor Kevin Munro joins with retail giant Specsavers to find the "right care" for people
Peter WIX, Published on 27 June 2024
Specsavers
A detailed and well-endorsed report on the UK’s hearing health has been launched by Specsavers with the aim of bonding major players in audiology to galvanise existing NHS capacity to tackle a shortage of professionals and other key hearing care issues.
The document at the centre of this initiative – It’s time to talk about hearing – the 2024 hearing health report – calls specifically for the development of community hearing services to ease pressure on stretched GPs and hospitals. Its content urges investment in better IT connectivity to link up primary and secondary ear and hearing care, as well as reform in ear wax removal by commissioning this treatment to primary care audiologists. “The ability to pay should not be a barrier to receiving care,” declares Specsavers in its launch media release.
Leading researcher Kevin Munro is one of several key figures endorsing the hearing health report
The introduction of a nationally commissioned primary care audiology service in all communities to supplement NHS hospital services and improve access to care is one of the proposals that has chimed with a leading contributor to the report, Professor Kevin Munro, Ewing Professor of Audiology, NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, who believes maintaining the hearing health of adults is a strong social responsibility.
“I believe that people want the right care, to have confidence in the professional and a feeling that they are being listening to and involved in the decisions about how to manage their specific problems,” stresses Prof. Munro, pointing up a Right Care, Right time, Right place mantra.
“They want to be seen at the right time with flexible appointments and no long waiting times. If these first two things are met, people want to be seen in the right place – and local is more convenient to all of us,” continued the Manchester-based research lead.
MP Yasmin Qureshi contributes an introductory text to the report, decrying a situation in which delay in seeking hearing care “is then compounded by the ‘postcode lottery’ for accessing audiology services”. Singer Rick Astley underlines messages about timely testing, and profiles his own hearing loss experience.
Economic boost from changing to a community audiology service
The report also highlights many cases of hearing loss and intervention, pinpointing key decision moments, the benefits of hearing instruments, and steps along the hearing treatment journey.
Among data and insights aired to provoke debate among commissioners, policy makers, service providers and professionals, the hearing health report dwells on nationwide social details in a section called Equitable and Timely Access to Hearing Care, Specsavers suggesting in its launch that the UK economy would get a “£25bn productivity boost” from changing to a primary care community audiology service model.
The group points out that the UK government recognises that age-related hearing loss is the third most common reason for people leaving the workforce prematurely.
“Nationally, 4.4m members of the workforce have hearing loss – and that number is projected to rise with an increase in older Brits in the coming years,” says Specsavers, whose Chief Audiologist Gordon Harrison adds: “Encouraging the use of hearing technology as a means of continuing employment, tackling stigma around the condition, and making hearing care services as accessible as possible, are vital for the nation’s health.”
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