In focus: NHS sets out plan for hearing loss services

Ten years elapse between the average person noticing they have some form of hearing loss and seeking medical advice for a solution.

The debilitating effects of hearing loss are severe and the wider cost to society is high. The NHS has made it clear that it intends to address the problems surrounding the accessibility of care.

In its latest report on service provision NHS England points to the benefits of an accessible delivery and aftercare system within the community, based around a menu of fixed prices. Sound familiar?

Optics may be frustrated at its relationship with the NHS but few would argue that the state gets poor value for money from the delivery of General Ophthalmic Services. The synergies of hearing and eye care have long been known and recently that coexistence has grown dramatically. If the NHS is intent on delivering hearing services in the community what will that mean for optical practices?