UK Council on Deafness

October 2003 Parliamentary Report

In this Report

• Digital Hearing Aids - Commons Written Answers (14 Oct 2003)
• Waiting Times - Commons Written Answers (14 Oct 2003)
• Cinemas (Sub-titling and Audio Description) - Commons Written Answers (14 Oct 2003)
• Deaf Prisoners - Commons Written Answers (21 Oct 2003)
• Audiology - Commons Written Answers (28 Oct 2003)

Commons Written Answers (14 Oct 2003)
Digital Hearing Aids

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of those waiting for digital hearing aids in Northern Ireland have been issued with a digital hearing aid; what action he is taking to increase this figure; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Preparatory work for the provision of Digital Hearing Aids (DHAs) is at an advanced stage and introduction, on a phased basis, will commence in early November. An additional £1 million has been allocated for this purpose, to cover the revenue costs of recruiting additional audiologists, training in fitting DHAs, purchasing the new aids and the capital costs of installing computer based testing equipment necessary to support introduction.

It is estimated that there are over 100,000 hearing aid users in Northern Ireland. Evidence based research suggests that DHAs may benefit 80 per cent. of users. It is not possible at this stage to say what numbers of new and existing users might be assessed for DHAs per year. Given that introduction is on a phased basis, it will take a number of years for the entire hearing aid user population to be assessed for digital aids.

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Commons Written Answers (14 Oct 2003)
Waiting Times

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it policy that no patient referred to an NHS hospital for a hearing test should wait longer than two months.

Ms Rosie Winterton: While there are no targets for waiting times for audiology services, we are taking action to tackle the causes of longer waits as part of our programme to modernise hearing aid services in England. These are increased demand arising from public awareness of digital hearing aids and a recognised national shortage of audiologists.

The modernisation project team at the Royal National Institute for the Deaf and the action on team from the modernisation agency are working with sites to help them reduce waiting times. We are introducing a new, more streamlined patient process in modernised sites. We are looking at ways to increase the number of trained audiologists in the longer term and are encouraging partnerships between national health service trusts and high street registered hearing aid dispensers to increase capacity and make NHS hearing aids available, free of charge, from an increasing number of convenient locations.

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have waited more than (a) three, (b) six and (c) 12 months for an elective finished in-year admission in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available.

Mr. Hutton: The number of patients who waited for more than three, six and 12 months are shown in the table.

Year 1997-98: total patients more than 3 months, 1,149,122, more than 6 months, 608,276, more than 12 months, 185,956

Year 2001-02: total patients more than 3 months, 1,169,469, more than 6 months, 609,684, more than 12 months, 190,158

Notes:
1. Count of finished in-year admission episodes.

2. Elective finished in-year admissions from waiting list and booked cases by time waited, NHS hospitals, England 1997-98 and 2001-02.

3. Admissions are defined as the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.

4. A finished consultant episode (FCE) is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.

5. Grossing-figures have not (yet) been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

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Commons Written Answers (14 Oct 2003)
Cinemas (Sub-titling and Audio Description)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 15 September, Official Report, column 520W, on subtitled films, what steps her Department is taking to ensure initiatives are introduced to supply cinemas in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland with subtitling and audio-description equipment to improve access to cinemas by people with hearing and sight impairments.

Estelle Morris: The UK Film Council, the Government's strategic adviser for film, is in discussion with the national screen agencies, the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission, Scottish Screen and Sgrin Cymru Wales about improving access to cinemas for people with hearing and sight impairments. I am writing to the devolved Administrations to express my support for this very valuable initiative.

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Commons Written Answers (21 Oct 2003)
Deaf Prisoners

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is being taken to improve the support and welfare of deaf prisoners.

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service has policies in place to try to ensure that deaf, and indeed all, disabled prisoners are able to participate fully in prison life and that their needs in terms of rehabilitation, maintaining family ties, and support generally, are met. Ensuring staff awareness of the needs of deaf prisoners remains a high priority for the Prison Service: disability and deaf awareness and communication skills for staff are included within diversity training across the Service.

Prisons are encouraged to employ British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters where necessary, for example, in adjudication hearings and in parole interviews. Although it is recognised that not all deaf and hard of hearing people use BSL, more staff in prisons are being trained in basic BSL skills and a small number of staff are more highly qualified and experienced signers.

Staff and managers in prisons are also becoming more aware of the need to ensure that deaf prisoners are able to access offending behaviour programmes, and are starting to explore alternative ways of delivering these programmes.

Great importance is placed on the maintenance of family ties for all prisoners; it is recognised that for deaf prisoners, this requires adjustments such as provision of textphones, and quiet areas and induction loops in visits halls to enhance the quality of visits. Wherever possible, prisons develop links with community groups, some of which support and visit deaf prisoners.

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Commons Written Answers (28 Oct 2003)
Audiology

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action the Government is taking to ensure that deaf people are not discriminated against in accessing mainstream primary and secondary health care.

Dr. Ladyman: Action the Government are taking to help eliminate discrimination in all its forms from health services, which includes discrimination against deaf people, includes:

The NHS Plan, which commits the Department to ensuring that public services are equitable and accessible for disabled people.

The Department of Health and the Department for Work and Pensions are co-operating on the draft Disability Bill, which will mean a significant extension of rights for disabled people in the United Kingdom.

The Department is working on a partnership framework for action on disability with the Disability Rights Commission. This will help ensure that the national health service and social care are ready to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act physical access duties from 2004.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what incentives he is giving to health trusts to ensure that deaf people are able to (a) express their consent to treatment and (b) make meaningful treatment choices.

Dr. Ladyman: Health trusts are expected to make suitable provision to ensure that all patients who cannot easily access spoken English, including those who are deaf, are enabled to make informed consent to treatment and to make meaningful choices.

It is not considered that trusts need incentives to do this but, to encourage services to become more equitable and responsive, the Department is currently undertaking a national consultation, called 'Choice, Responsiveness and Equity', which will improve patient and user experience and build new partnerships between those who use health and social care and those who work in them.

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