Specsavers welcomes government guidance to improve access to hearing care
Specsavers welcomes new government guidance which will encourage people to seek advice from hearing care experts, provide easier access to hearing technology though over the counter products, and make it easier for people to manage their own hearing health.
Gordon Harrison, Specsavers director of audiology professional advancement, says:
“The UK government’s support for hearing health innovations, like earphones with built-in hearing aids, marks an exciting step forward in tackling hearing loss stigma. With more than 18 million people in the UK needing support[1] with early-stage hearing loss, new technology is game-changing.
“We welcome the release of today’s updated guidance which will encourage people to seek advice from hearing care experts, provide easier access to hearing technology through over the counter products, and make it easier for people to manage their own hearing health.
“Face-to-face consultations with specialists remain essential for accurate diagnosis, whether it’s earwax buildup or more serious conditions, and for recommending the right hearing aid or treatment to protect long-term hearing health. With ongoing support from audiologists, people can finely tune digital hearing devices to help them adapt to different environments and changes in their hearing over time.
“Patient safety is paramount. Specsavers remains in open dialogue with professional bodies, including the Department of Health and Social Care, to ensure this and, critically, that any new products that come to market are safe, backed by solid clinical evidence and deliver positive outcomes for people experiencing hearing loss.”
“It’s great to see the Government call attention to the people in the UK that are living with hearing loss. As the Health Secretary has said today, hearing aids can help those with hearing loss live their lives to the full and he is right to focus on how to make access to hearing care more convenient for patients. We urge the Government to build on today’s announcement and further improve access to care by introducing self-referral to community audiology services across the country – enabling those needing NHS hearing care to see a professional audiologist on the high street without having to see their GP first.”
[1] Akeroyd MA and Munro KJ (2024) Population estimates of the number of adults in the United Kingdom with a hearing loss updated using 2021 and 2022 census data. bioRxiv. DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.26.24301819