| UK Council on Deafness | |
| [home] [search this site] [about us] [members] [news] [press area] [events] [publications] [campaigning] [consultations] [deaf awareness week] [grants] [affiliation] [contact] |
In this Report
Commons Written Answers (12 Jul 2004)
Digital Hearing Aids
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health
(1) what the average waiting time is for a deaf patient to receive a digital
hearing aid in (a) Dorset, (b) West Sussex and (c) England;
(2) what the average waiting time was for a digital hearing aid in
England in each of the last seven years;
(3) what impact the Modernising Hearing Aids programme has had on average waiting
list time for digital hearing aids in England;
(4) what the average period of time from referral of a patient in need of a
digital hearing aid to fitting the aid was in (a) 2003-04 and (b) each of the
last seven years in England.
Dr. Ladyman: Information on waiting times for fitting hearing aids is not collected locally or centrally. Waiting times in audiology, including those for digital hearing aids, are likely to have increased in some areas because of the modernising hearing aid services (MHAS) project. The Modernisation Agency's action on audiology team is working to help national health service organisations improve their own procedures locally in order to reduce waiting times. Information on national average waiting times for audiology is not available.
MHAS has improved the quality of life of those people who have received digital hearing aids. It has modernised services to make sure that deaf people receive the most advanced hearing aids available, rather than rely on outdated technology from the 1970s.
Lords Written Answers (19 Jul 2004)
Hearing Aids
Baroness Howe of Idlicote asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the current cost to the National Health Service of each type of digital hearing aid purchased by National Health Service hearing aids services digital scheme.
Lord Warner: There are a number of nationally contracted hearing aid products available to the National Health Service dependant on the specific requirements of patients such as level of hearing loss. The range includes two models of moderate power hearing aids with an average price of just under £70.00 each including value added tax, five models of higher power hearing aids with an average price at around £150 each including VAT, and a specialised very small child's aid at around £120 including VAT.
Commons Written Answers (19 Jul 2004)
Subtitling
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has to increase the number of television channels which are regulated for subtitling.
Estelle Morris: None. Section 303 of the Communications Act 2003 establishes a duty on Ofcom to draw up a code relating to the provision for deaf and visually impaired people. Section 303 applies to all digital terrestrial, digital satellite and digital cable channels except the BBC, which is instead brought within the scope of the code by way of the BBC Agreement. Exclusions from the application of the code are a matter for Ofcom, taking into account in particular certain matters specified in the Act designed to balance the costs and difficulty of provision with the extent of the benefit to those with sensory impairments. Ofcom have consulted on their code, including proposed exemptions, and I understand that they propose to announce their conclusions shortly.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the yearly interim targets are for subtitling for the coming years that have been set by the Office of Communications.
Estelle Morris: The matter raised is the responsibility of Ofcom, as independent regulator. Accordingly, DCMS officials have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Commons Written Answers (20 Jul 2004)
Deaf-Blind Awareness Week
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to be involved in and mark the celebration of Deafblind Awareness Week.
Dr. Ladyman: Although I was invited to an event organised by Sense to mark Deafblind Awareness Week, I was unfortunately unable to attend. I recognise the contributions of Sense, Deafblind UK and other organisations in the voluntary sector in raising awareness of the needs of deafblind people.
Lords Written Answers (20 Jul 2004)
Hearing Aids
Baroness Howe of Idlicote asked Her Majesty's Government: How many digital hearing aids have been distributed nationwide from National Health Service hearing aids services since the digital scheme was announced in February; and
What is the estimated number of National Health Service patients with hearing loss who would benefit from a switch from analogue to digital hearing aids; and what percentage of these have been supplied and fitted so far; and
Further to the remark by the Lord Ashley of Stoke on 13 February 2003 (HL Deb, col. 813), whether every National Health Service patient with hearing loss who would benefit from a switch to a digital hearing aid will be given the opportunity to switch to a digital instrument within the two year roll-out of the digital scheme; and
To what extent private sector technicians have been involved in the digital aid scheme so far; and what National Health Service evaluation has been made for the continuance of such a partnership with the private sector, once the roll-out period is completed; and
Whether the money ring-fenced for the digital hearing aid scheme roll-out will continue to be available for the supplying and fitting of digital hearing aids to National Health Service patients once the roll-out period is completed.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): From the beginning of the modernising hearing aid services project in May 2000 until the end of May 2004, audiology departments fitted 267,000 hearing aids for 195,000 people as part of the project. Of these, 188,000 were fitted for 136,000 people since February 2003. We have made no estimate of the number of people who might benefit from a switch from analogue to digital hearing aids.
It has proved necessary to set up a prioritisation system for the issue of digital hearing aids, which will mean that some people with analogue aids will not be fitted with new digital aids within the two-year roll out.
To increase capacity, a national framework agreement was developed with private dispensers to fit National Health Service hearing aids to NHS patients, free of charge to the patient. So far 41 NHS sites have already signed up to use the scheme in 2004 with another 39 joining shortly. By the end of May 2004, private dispensers had fitted 987 NHS patients with NHS digital hearing aids. The national framework agreement runs initially for a two-year period beginning in October 2003 with an optional extension for a further three years. NHS trusts will be able to make use of the agreement as long as it is in place.
Money for digital hearing aids will still be available to primary care trusts after April 2005. It will be for PCTs to decide how best to provide audiology services.
Commons Written Answers (20 Jul 2004)
Digital Hearing Aids
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many digital hearing aids were fitted in each of the past seven years in each region of England.
Dr. Ladyman: The national health service fitted very few, if any digital hearing aids before September 2000. The modernising hearing aid services project began as a pilot project in September 2000, initially in only 20 sites. In the first 18 months of the project to April 2002, about 30,000 digital hearing aids were fitted. A further 42,000 aids were issued in the year to April 2003; and 80,000 were fitted in the year to April 2004. We are unable to give a breakdown of digital hearing aid provision by region.
[back to Deafness in Parliament]
| [home] [search this site] [about us] [members] [news] [press area] [events] [publications] [campaigning] [consultations] [deaf awareness week] [grants] [affiliation] [contact] |
UK Council on Deafness, Registered Charity Number 1038448
Your use of this site is in accordance with our Privacy Statement
© UK Council on Deafness, 2003-5.
|
|
 |
 |