§ Lord Greavesasked Her Majesty's Government:
In which areas of Lancashire digital hearing aids are provided by the National Health Service; what are the criteria for making decisions on whether they are provided; and when it is intended that they will be provided throughout the county. [HL339]
150WA
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath)Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust was part of the first wave of National Health Service trusts to participate in the Department of Health's digital hearing aid project. On 22 November, the Minister of State for Community (Ms Jacqui Smith) announced a further 17 successful sites which included the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust which is now providing digital hearing aids for adults as well as for children. Arrangements are also in hand for the Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals NHS Trust to receive the necessary equipment and training to enable it to provide a digital hearing aid service.
The following criteria was published before the second wave of the project: ability an willingness to modernise quickly; geographical spread; interest in providing some services from a community base; Implications for transfer of paediatric patients to an adult service.
However, in practice, all sites that applied with the full support of their primary care trusts have been successful. The commitment of PCTs has been vital. Discussions are still continuing in relation to extending the digital hearing aid project nationally.