§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time is for digital hearing aids in(a)England and (b)Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement on measures he intends to take to reduce waiting times. [159044]
§ Dr. LadymanInformation on waiting times for non- consultant led specialities such as audiology is not collected centrally and so we are unable to estimate an average waiting time for digital hearing aids in England At the end of December 2003, waiting times from1600W referral to fitting at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital were 54 weeks for patients referred by the ear, nose and throat department, 56 weeks for those referred by general practitioners and 112 weeks for patients who self referred for reassessments. These times all include an eight-week period from assessment through to the fitting of the hearing aid.
The Royal National Institute for the Deaf modernisation team is carrying out a number of initiatives to reduce waiting times and new courses have been introduced to increase the number of audiologists available nationally.