Interview with Mark Georgevic, Scrivens legal director

While vision and hearing care have much in common, the rollout of community pathways offers further evidence that light travels faster than sound.

Nevertheless, the wheels are in motion for more audiology services, such as hearing tests, the dispensing of hearing aids and replacement of batteries, to be commissioned away from overstrained NHS hospitals.

Last month, the sector embraced the publication of Commissioning Services for People with Hearing Loss – a framework for clinical commissioning groups, which followed up an initial Action Plan on Hearing Loss report in 2015.

The framework calls on commissioners to review and analyse local needs so they can use an outcome-based approach to audiology services.