PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday 10 April 2002

FURTHER SITES TO PROVIDE DIGITAL HEARING AIDS

Health Minister, Jacqui Smith today announced the additional Trusts that will provide digital hearing aids as part of a modernised hearing aid serviceThis follows Government investment of £20 million in digital hearing aids during 2002-03, announced December 2001, and gives the details of 27 adult sites and 30 paediatric audiology sites all of which will begin providing digital hearing aids as part of a modernised hearing aid service in the next 12 months.

Jacqui Smith said:

"We need to provide modern, good quality services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The extension of this project shows how we are working with health communities up and down the country to bring the hearing aid service people receive into the 21st Century.

"We have invested more than £30 million in this project which is being enthusiastically welcomed by those who provide for the needs of people with hearing impairment as well as service users, themselves."

James Strachan of the Royal National Institute for the Deaf said:

"This is great news for thousands of NHS patients who will be able to benefit from cutting edge technology.

"The Government's commitment to modernise audiology in intially another 27 Adult and 30 Paediatric sites means that we can look forward to digital hearing aids being available to deaf and hard of hearing people everywhere in the future.

"RNID has campaigned long and hard for digital hearing aids, which can revolutionise people's lives and we are delighted to be working in partnership with the Department of Health to achieve this."

Susan Daniels of the National Deaf Children's Society said:

"This is a significant step in the right direction, and we look forward to the day when every deaf child is provided with the very best technology the NHS can provide."

Notes to Editors:

1. The following NHS Trusts will take part in the second wave of the project:

Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust
Bolton Hospital NHS Trust
Bournemouth Primary Care Trust
Brighton Healthcare NHS Trust
Countess of Chester NHS Trust
Croydon and Surrey Downs and Mayday University Hospitals NHS Trust
Gloucestershire Royal Infirmary NHS Trust
Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust (children's service)
Mid Cheshire Healthcare NHS Trust
North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
The Royal Free Hospital
Rochdale NHS Trust
Royal Devon and Exeter Hospitals NHS Trust
Salford Primary Care Trust
Sherwood Forest NHS Trust
West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust
Southampton University Hospital NHS Trust
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
Wolverhampton Healthcare NHS Trust
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust (children's service)
Wirral Hospitals NHS Trust
Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospital NHS Trust
Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust
East Cheshire NHS Trust
East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust (adult service)
Royal Liverpool Hospitals NHS Trust
Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust
North Devon Primary Care Trust

Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust (extended to children's service)
Birmingham Children's NHS Trust (children's service)

2. The project is breaking new ground in policy development. The Department of Health is working closely with a number of partners to deliver the project. The RNID are managing the project on behalf of the Department of Health and it is being evaluated by the Institute for Hearing Research on an ongoing basis. The full evaluation will be completed by the end of 2002 with a report published shortly thereafter.

3. For media enquiries please contact the Department of Health media centre Tel: 020 7210 5375/5315/5231.