The Hearing Loss Joint Strategic Needs Assessment guide, published at the end of June, aims to help regions across England tackle the major and growing public health challenge that untreated hearing loss has become. The guide presents a comprehensive review of all hearing needs, the impacts of hearing loss and what can be done about it.
The guide also includes a hearing loss data tool, which shows how many people are estimated to have a hearing loss in all regions across England, both now and in the future. The tool shows prevalence of hearing loss within clinical commissioning group (CCG) and Local Government Authority populations. The prevalence of hearing loss differs markedly across England. Understanding population data in your area can help you to plan and market your hearing services more intelligently.
NHS England hopes that these key resources will help “support local authorities and NHS commissioners to meet their statutory duties to assess the needs of local populations, take account of health inequalities, advance equality and commission high-quality services to meet local hearing needs and improve public health”.
Professor Dame Sue Hill, NHS England Chief Scientific Officer, said “The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment is an important step in our work to address unmet need and health inequalities for people with hearing loss in a way that is sustainable and promotes integration across the health and social care system.”