§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have(a) been tested for digital hearing aids and (b) had them fitted under the NHS in (i) England and (ii) Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency. [19058]
§ Jacqui SmithBy the end of December 2001, 19,353 adult patients had been assessed for digital hearing aids and 14,856 adult patients had been fitted by the 20 trusts involved in the pilot project. There are currently no pilot sites in the Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency.
I announced on 24 December 2001 that a further £20 million would be made available in 2002–03 so that a further 30 NHS sites can join the modernising hearing aids project during that year. Decisions on which sites will become involved in the project from April will be made shortly.