Two charities, Hear for Norfolk and RNID, came together on the 30th June to invite MPs to take part in a hearing health clinic in the Houses of Parliament to better understand the current status of hearing and ear care services.
The event, delivered by RNID – the national charity supporting more than 18 million people who are deaf, have hearing loss, or tinnitus – and Hear for Norfolk (the operating name of Norfolk Deaf Association), a Norfolk based charity providing a range of community ear and hearing health services supporting over 10,000 people in Norfolk every year, invited MPs to visit Hear for Norfolk’s mobile clinic to access a variety of ear health checks and learn about the current status of audiology and ear wax removal services in their own constituency.
During the event, Members of Parliament stepped into Hear for Norfolk’s mobile clinic which offered a first-hand experience of video ear checks, hearing checks and wax removal, as well as checking in on their local audiology waiting times and access to NHS wax removal to understand the current status of services.
Millions of people across the UK use ear and hearing health services, with evidence showing the overwhelmingly positive impact on general health and wellbeing for those that access treatment for hearing loss and wax build-up.
Audiology services, including the treatment of hearing loss, are a vital part of NHS care. They can have a transformative impact on quality of life – helping people maintain relationships, stay connected and stay in work – and can potentially help reduce the risk of wider health issues such as depression, falls and slowing or preventing cognitive decline. Access to ear wax removal services is also essential, enabling people to use hearing aids effectively and avoid pain, discomfort and barriers to communication.
However, despite these vital services being proven clinically and cost effective, they are not currently reaching everyone who needs them; research from RNID shows that only 22 of 43 Integrated Care Boards provide a fully commissioned wax removal service.
Aliona Derrett, Hear for Norfolk’s Chief Executive, said: “We were delighted to showcase the work we carry out across Norfolk communities and were very pleased to demonstrate in real time our service delivery model to so many MPs and other Parliamentary staff on the day, giving a practical illustration of the benefits of holistic community-based ear care and hearing assessment services.
We very much hope that we have been able to demonstrate the importance of improving access to audiology and ear care services across the UK. Our sincere gratitude goes to Mr Peter Prinsley MP for sponsoring and enabling this event to take place.
Hear for Norfolk has been delivering a range of high quality community-based and mobile hearing services in Norfolk for many years and we are working very hard to ensure that our services continue to be viable and reach as many people with hearing loss as possible at a time of need.”
Crystal Rolfe, Director for Strategy at RNID, said: “It was very encouraging to see such strong engagement from Members of Parliament and a genuine want to understand the challenges around the current state of local audiology services and waiting times.
For too long, people have faced unnecessary barriers in accessing hearing health services because the right support systems have not been in place. Too many people are currently left with untreated ear wax and unmanaged hearing loss, which can cause avoidable pain, communication difficulties, and social isolation.”
“Access to essential hearing care shouldn’t depend on where you live. Across England, access to proven, cost-effective services such as ear wax removal and NHS hearing aids is inconsistent. We look forward to the opportunity to work with MPs to restart waiting time tracking for audiology services in England and urge them to publish a modern service framework for hearing health to improve and expand access to high-quality audiology and wax removal services.”
RNID and Hear for Norfolk are urging people to raise these issues with their local MP to help campaign for people who are failing to get the care they need on the NHS.
