Early day motion tabled by primary sponsor Siobhain McDonagh (Labour), on Monday, 29 October 2001, in the House of Commons. It is signed by 233 members in total.

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NHS DIGITAL HEARING AIDS

That this House welcomes the Government's creation of 20 first-wave Modernising NHS hearing aid services providing digital hearing aids, implemented jointly by the Department of Health and the RNID, but also notes with concern that this technology is not yet available to all two million current hearing aid users; notes that, so far, less than five per cent. of people in need of hearing aids have access to the NHS digital hearing aids that are proving so much more helpful to users; notes that hearing aids provided by the rest of the NHS are based on outdated 1970s technology and that one-third of these aids are not used regularly, largely because users cannot obtain real benefit from them; notes that digital aids purchased privately can cost up to ??2,500 each, whilst each digital hearing aid costs the NHS as little as ??150 and could cost less for larger volumes in universal provision; notes that universal NHS provision of digital aids would benefit more than three million potential additional users, some 500,000 immediately; notes that with an incremental cost of only ??100 per capita - equivalent to less than a day in hospital - no opportunity exists in the NHS to change so many lives so radically; further notes that public expenditure would be reduced due to greater individual well-being and independence and an extension of working lives; and consequently calls on the Government, having assessed the work of the Institute of Hearing Research, to commence the universal provision of digital hearing aids through the NHS.

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Secondary information

Type

Early day motion

Reference

317 

Session

2001-02

Other sponsors

David Laws

Lord Bellingham

Lord Cotter

Claire Curtis-Thomas

Mark Field

Subjects

Disability aids Digital technology Hearing aids NHS

Link

View this Early day motion on www.parliament.uk