London: The NHS has started to ration hearing aids for the deaf — with thousands of people being offered only one device when experts say they need two.
Specialists recommend patients who are losing their hearing in both ears should be offered two aids, but some NHS authorities have started to offer just one to such people, in a cost-cutting exercise that saves a modest £90 (Dh496) per person.
The charity Action on Hearing Loss, formerly the RNID, has found four hospital trusts in England and two health boards in Wales now initially offer one aid. Most of the authorities say they will provide a second device if the patient asks for it.
Paul Breckell, chief executive of the charity, described the cutbacks as `alarming’ and added: `With only one hearing aid, the ability to understand speech from the unaided ear can deteriorate over time to the point that it can’t be recovered.’
Among the bodies to introduce the policy is Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which said it would supply two aids only if a specific request was made and then granted.
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said its clinical commissioning group - the body that pays most of its bills - had told them only one in four patients would need two aids.
The other four are: Medway NHS Foundation Trust, North Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust; and, in Wales, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board and Hywel Dda University Health Board.
— Mail On Sunday
