§ Baroness Howe of Idlicoteasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many digital hearing aids have been distributed nationwide from National Health Service hearing aids services since the digital scheme was announced in February; and [HL3736]
What is the estimated number of National Health Service patients with hearing loss who would benefit from a switch from analogue to digital hearing aids; and what percentage of these have been supplied and fitted so far; and [HL3738]
Further to the remark by the Lord Ashley of Stoke on 13 February 2003 (HL Deb, col. 813), whether every National Health Service patient with hearing loss who would benefit from a switch to a digital hearing aid will be given the opportunity to switch to a digital instrument within the two year roll-out of the digital scheme; and [HL3739]
To what extent private sector technicians have been involved in the digital aid scheme so far; and what National Health Service evaluation has been made for the continuance of such a partnership with the private sector, once the roll-out period is completed; and [HL3740]
Whether the money ring-fenced for the digital hearing aid scheme roll-out will continue to be available for the supplying and fitting of digital hearing aids to National Health Service patients once the roll-out period is completed. [HL3741]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)From the beginning of the modernising hearing aid services project in May 2000 until the end of May 2004, audiology departments fitted 267,000 hearing aids for 195,000 people as part of the project. Of these, 188,000 were fitted for 136,000 people since February 2003. We have made no estimate of the number of people who might benefit from a switch from analogue to digital hearing aids.
It has proved necessary to set up a prioritisation system for the issue of digital hearing aids, which will 41WA mean that some people with analogue aids will not be fitted with new digital aids within the two-year roll out.
To increase capacity, a national framework agreement was developed with private dispensers to fit National Health Service hearing aids to NHS patients, free of charge to the patient. So far 41 NHS sites have already signed up to use the scheme in 2004 with another 39 joining shortly. By the end of May 2004, private dispensers had fitted 987 NHS patients with NHS digital hearing aids. The national framework agreement runs initially for a two-year period beginning in October 2003 with an optional extension for a further three years. NHS trusts will be able to make use of the agreement as long as it is in place.
Money for digital hearing aids will still be available to primary care trusts after April 2005. It will be for PCTs to decide how best to provide audiology services.