An audit of the adult hearing aid provision service in Scotland

The need to monitor health service practice has never been more pressing. Three questionnaire surveys were carried out to assess the National Health Service (NHS) provision of hearing aids to adults in Scotland. The median wait between a letter requesting an opinion, including the suitability for a hearing aid, being received by a hospital, and a patient being seen by an otolaryngologist is eight weeks. After this there is a further median wait, primarily due to the necessity of manufacturing a permanent mould, of four weeks before they receive their final hearing aid complex. The easiest way to reduce the provision time is to improve the speed at which moulds can be manufactured. Lack of audiology technician posts could be a problem but the workload between departments varies considerably and requires evaluation. Almost certainly, better management strategies could be evolved. Otolaryngologists would appear interested in being responsible for the service and though many general practitioners (GPs) are also interested, the size of their practice would limit the number of aids that could be provided within the community. Open access to the existing hospital services should be investigated as a means of providing a more community orientated service.