In its inaugural report the National Community Hearing Association, a sister organisation to FODO, said it had created a consensus that can offer transformational change to hearing loss services in the UK.
Chairman, Mark Georgevic, said during the last 18 months the NCHA had set itself up, recruited members, secured funding and built strong relationships with organisations such as British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists.
During the year it has simultaneously lobbied on behalf of patients, built a national framework for commissioning and provided a review of adult hearing services to various NHS structures.
David Hewlett, chief executive, hit out at existing NHS structures for hearing services which he described as: ‘a system of workarounds that has ducked the transformational change required to deliver access, quality, choice and cost effective solutions to meet the needs of an ageing population.’
He went on to say that 90 per cent of people with hearing loss are over 50 and the system had let those people down for too long. He bemoaned the lack of a level playing field and the failure of policy makers. They had allowed the ‘old ways’ to continue to the detriment of new providers and patients, he said.
Hewlett painted a picture of a future with expanded community services, commissioning to meet the needs of the public, publication of service quality outcomes and joined up working with NHS commissioners.
The NCHA membership is made up of hearing service providers including small and medium sized enterprises and corporate providers. It is open to all providers including GPs and hospitals.
