Practitioners from around the country contacted by Optician have delivered a mixed response to calls by the optical bodies for the NHS to work in partnership with the private sector to provide improved hearing care services to patients.
Last week Optician reported that in response to the Health Select Committee's report into audiology (May 16), FODO, the AOP and ABDO had expressed support for action to ensure that the half a million people currently waiting for hearing aids get the care they need. The bodies said expansion of services could easily be achieved based on the current optical model, with an NHS prescription or voucher and agreement on costs.
Optometrist Andrew Morgan, based in Ripon expressed mixed feelings about providing hearing care services in optical outlets. 'We did provide a service for some time but the take up wasn't high and we found the company providing the service to be erratic. But on the other hand it does enable a practice to provide an additional service,' he said.
Optometrist Michael Blackstone from Michael Blackstone Optometrist in Beaconsfield commented: 'We ran a hearing care service for a year and we let our patients know about it through our reminder system, but it wasn't very successful, possibly due to the area we live in. I think the success of a hear care service depends on the type of practice.'
Practice manager of Bath-based Dollond & Aitchison, David Tod, said its fortnightly hearing service doesn't provide a lot of residual business. 'I expect if it was better publicised it might have a higher impact but it isn't a core area of business for Dollond & Aitchison.'
However, dispensing optician Joy Fletcher from City Optical in Southampton was more positive: 'Anything that gets extra patients into the practice is a good thing because patients will also be able to look at the frames and other services.'
Speaking on behalf of the optical bodies, FODO chief executive David Hewlett said that it would be 'shameful' for patients with hearing problems to continue to wait for up to two years for treatment.
'Many companies already provide audiology services including Scrivens, Specsavers and Healthcall and if the DoH provided a voucher or prescription service rather than recycling patients through outpatient departments everyone would win.'