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Deaf woman 'faces 14-year wait' for NHS hearing aid | 24dash.com - Health
A severely deaf woman could face a 14-year wait for a new hearing aid on the NHS, it emerged today.
June Hews, 76, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was shocked to discover she was number 582 on the waiting list for a digital hearing aid to replace her analogue one.
But in the last six months she has only moved up only 20 places - meaning that at the current snail's pace of delivery she could expect to get her "new" aid when she is 90.
Mrs Hews needs a digital aid because her hearing has degenerated and the new technology is more sophisticated at picking up sounds and reducing feedback.
The pensioner said she was appalled she would have to wait so long for a new hearing aid and is now considering going private.
"It's incredible that the list should be so long," she told the Western Daily Press.
"Should this rate of progress be maintained, I will get my new hearing aids in 2020.
"It's possible I may be alive in 14 years' time, but what about the people on that list who are in their 80s and 90s?"
Mrs Hews said she felt badly let down by the NHS and her local hospital, Cheltenham General, over her treatment.
She is now considering paying for the hearing aid privately, but insists that, as a taxpayer, she should not have to fork out for it.
A spokeswoman for the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "We are sorry Mrs Hews has had such a long wait for her appointment at Cheltenham General Hospital. We can reassure Mrs Hews she will not be waiting 14 years for her digital hearing aid.
"There is a growing demand for this service but we would like to reassure patients that our audiology staff are doing all they can to address the problem.
"The current waiting time for a new hearing test is approximately six weeks, but the waiting time for patients to be fitted with a digital hearing aid is 18 months.
"Unfortunately, the waiting time for fitting hearing aids reflects the demand for the service."
"The Trust relies on funding from the Primary Care Trusts to provide the NHS County Hearing Aid Service.
"Modernisation of Hearing Aid Services was centrally funded for two years and this enabled Trusts to invest in equipment and computers to deliver the new technology.
"This funding has now ceased and, unfortunately, due to the high demand and loss of central funding it is difficult meeting patient expectation in this area."
A severely deaf woman could face a 14-year wait for a new hearing aid on the NHS, it emerged today.
June Hews, 76, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was shocked to discover she was number 582 on the waiting list for a digital hearing aid to replace her analogue one.
But in the last six months she has only moved up only 20 places - meaning that at the current snail's pace of delivery she could expect to get her "new" aid when she is 90.
Mrs Hews needs a digital aid because her hearing has degenerated and the new technology is more sophisticated at picking up sounds and reducing feedback.
The pensioner said she was appalled she would have to wait so long for a new hearing aid and is now considering going private.
"It's incredible that the list should be so long," she told the Western Daily Press.
"Should this rate of progress be maintained, I will get my new hearing aids in 2020.
"It's possible I may be alive in 14 years' time, but what about the people on that list who are in their 80s and 90s?"
Mrs Hews said she felt badly let down by the NHS and her local hospital, Cheltenham General, over her treatment.
She is now considering paying for the hearing aid privately, but insists that, as a taxpayer, she should not have to fork out for it.
A spokeswoman for the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "We are sorry Mrs Hews has had such a long wait for her appointment at Cheltenham General Hospital. We can reassure Mrs Hews she will not be waiting 14 years for her digital hearing aid.
"There is a growing demand for this service but we would like to reassure patients that our audiology staff are doing all they can to address the problem.
"The current waiting time for a new hearing test is approximately six weeks, but the waiting time for patients to be fitted with a digital hearing aid is 18 months.
"Unfortunately, the waiting time for fitting hearing aids reflects the demand for the service."
"The Trust relies on funding from the Primary Care Trusts to provide the NHS County Hearing Aid Service.
"Modernisation of Hearing Aid Services was centrally funded for two years and this enabled Trusts to invest in equipment and computers to deliver the new technology.
"This funding has now ceased and, unfortunately, due to the high demand and loss of central funding it is difficult meeting patient expectation in this area."
