HC Deb 27 May 1982 vol 24 c387W
Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he is taking to encourage the provision of the necessary follow up care for retirement pensioners who have been prescribed hearing aids, and in particular for those who are housebound.

Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg

Responsibility for follow-up care for people who have been prescribed a hearing aid, including those who are elderly and housebound, lies with individual hospitals and hearing aid centres. Special central funds have been made available since 1978 for the establishment and training of hearing therapists. About 20 hearing therapists are now in post in England, eight students are on the current training course and 10 more are expected on the 1982–83 course.

The Department is sponsoring research to evaluate the training of hearing therapists and to examine their work and the use of volunteers in the follow-up of people prescribed hearing aids.

Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his current estimate of the number of retirement pensioners who need hearing aids and of those who have a National Health Service model.

Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg

I refer the right hon. Member to my reply to him on 4 May—[Vol. 23, c.26]. Information about users of NHS hearing aids is not collected centrally.

National Health Service Group National average earnings
£ £
Ancillary staff: Manual:
male full-time 104.17 male full-time 121.90
female full-time 84.02 female full-time 74.50
Administrative and Clerical 100.05 Non-manual:
Nurses and Midwives 105.90 male full-time 163.10
Professions Supplementary to Medicine 125.73 female full-time 96.70
Other Professional and technical staff 129.45

Notes:

1. Except for ancillaries, the figures given for National Health Service staff are based on earnings of all whole-time and part-time staff of both sexes—using whole-time equivalents—in each group, excluding agency staff. All earnings figures for National Health Service staff exclude London weighting.

2. The national average earnings figures are from the 1981 new earnings survey.