HC Deb 08 March 1967 vol 742 cc1431-4

10.5 a.m.

The Minister of Health (Mr. Kenneth Robinson)

With your permission, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, I wish to make a statement about certain improvements in the range of hearing aids available under the National Health Service.

The Secretary of State for Scotland and I have decided that an improved body-worn Medresco hearing aid, with a substantially better performance than the present aids, should be designed and put into production. It should be possible to start issuing it in about three years' time. This aid will benefit the majority of patients among that small proportion who are not helped by the present Medresco aids. We hope to be able to help at any rate some of these patients in the more immediate future by modifications to the existing types of hearing aids, though the number of modified aids that can be provided is likely to be relatively small.

We have also decided in principle that, on an experimental basis, head-worn hearing aids should be provided for schoolchildren over the age of seven for whom they are clinically desirable, and arrangements for purchasing suitable aids for issue will be put in hand shortly.

Mr. Braine

On behalf of my right hon. and hon. Friends, I warmly welcome the Minister's statement, especially since the new body-worn aids may help some people who, I understand, gain no benefit from the existing National Health Service aid, and that is very good news indeed for those who suffer from deafness. We particularly welcome the right hon. Gentleman's decision to provide deaf children over the age of seven with head-worn aids on an experimental basis.

Will the right hon. Gentleman answer three questions? First, since three years seems a rather long time, can the right hon. Gentleman explain why it will take three years to produce an improved body-worn aid? Secondly, assuming that production goes according to plan, how long will it take to replace all the existing aids available under the National Health Service? Thirdly, bearing in mind the very considerable fund of experience possessed by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, is it the Minister's intention to consult the Institute about the design of the new aid?

Mr. Robinson

I thank the hon. Gentleman for the welcome he gave to my statement. It is a fact that the new aid will help what we call the fringe patients who are not assisted by the present aid. We estimate the size of the fringe to be about 5 per cent. of patients who are seen in hospitals and who are capable of benefiting from any type of aid.

To answer the hon. Gentleman's questions, the design of the new aid and putting it into production are lengthy processes. As the hon. Gentleman knows, the Post Office acts for the Ministry in these matters; and it does not expect it to be available in any substantial numbers before 1970. I am afraid that I must tell the hon. Gentleman that there is little prospect of improving on this programme. We have gone into the matter very carefully indeed. I do not propose to launch a programme for the immediate replacement of all existing body-worn aids, but as the new aid comes into production it will gradually replace the others. I would not like to estimate the length of time that this will take. We have, in considering the design of the new aid, consulted the advisory bodies at my disposal and certainly we have been in touch with the Royal National Institute for the Deaf.

Mr. Pavitt

I join the hon. Member for Essex, South-East (Mr. Braine) in congratulating my right hon. Friend on having made this important move forward. However, I, too, question the length of time as much too long to put the new aid into large-scale production. Is it possible to have greater selectivity in Medresco aids, since about 60 per cent. of people at present using hearing aids are, because of the present wide range of types of deafness, unable to receive the maximum benefit from them? Will the new aid contain a telephone coil, top entry microphone, separate on-off switch, automatic volume control, restrictive power output between 40 to 70 decibels and—and this is particularly important—tone control? May I also ask my right hon. Friend if he will consider using the services of qualified members of the Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists to ensure that the maximum number of people may be fitted speedily upon the introduction of the new aid?

Mr. Robinson

First of all, may I assure my hon. Friend that the new aid will incorporate a number of technological advances. If he would like specific answers on the catalogue of improvements which he mentioned, perhaps he would be kind enough to put down a question on that point. I have gone very carefully into this question of the length of time that it will take to get the new aid into production, and it is really because of this period that we are introducing much more immediately ad hoc modifications to the present bone conduction aid which will help some of these people. I will certainly consider the last point of my hon. Friend's supplementary.

Dr. Winstanley

Is the Minister aware that any extension of the National Health Service provisions in this field is very welcome indeed in this part of the House? Parallel with these improvements, will the Minister do everything possible to restrict the activities of high-pressure salesmen operating in the private sector, who are at present exploiting deaf people in a highly undesirable way?

Mr. Robinson

I can assure the hon. Gentleman that, in so far as these practices exist—and I know that they certainly do exist—I deplore them and I would refer him to the speeches made last Friday by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary and by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Board of Trade.

Mr. Wilkins

The House certainly welcomes the information given to it this morning by the Minister. But may I ask my right hon. Friend whether he and his Department are fully aware that a truly miraculous operation is now being performed? Certainly it is restricted because of the knowledge yet available, hot nevertheless it appears to be a highly successful operation. Can any steps be taken to bring this to the notice of people generally? However, I am thinking mainly in terms of the children to whom he has referred, who may be able to obtain permanent life benefit as a result of this if it can be encouraged?

Mr. Robinson

Of course, children, and particularly deaf children, are under close supervision under the School Health Service. I am sure that those who could be assisted by aural surgery, and who would perhaps not require to have a hearing aid subsequently throughout their lives, would be brought to the attention of the hospitals' ear, nose and throat departments.

Mr. Pavitt

On a point of order. Am I in order, in view of the highly satisfactory nature of the statement, in proceeding to raise this matter on the Adjournment?

Mr. Speaker

It is most ingenious to make that a point of order, but the hon. Gentleman has not quite succeeded.

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