Agenda item

Report/presentation of Accountable Officer, Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Groups

The Committee considered a report (Appendix B to the signed minutes) of Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) Accountable Officer regarding future NHS Hearing Aid provision in Staffordshire.

In 2015, following a consultation and engagement process, North Staffordshire CCG adopted a revised commissioning policy which included new eligibility criteria for NHS funded hearing aids for adults with hearing loss. The policy, which was implemented on 1 October 2015, provided that patients (aged 18 years and above) with moderate hearing loss (41-55 decibels) whose everyday lives was affected by their disability, were eligible to receive an NHS funded hearing aid. However, patients with a mild hearing loss (less than 41 decibels) were not now eligible for funding and would not receive a hearing aid. Those patients with a hearing loss of 56 decibels or more were unaffected by the changes together with those who already had an NHS hearing aid for the duration of their three-year pathway at which point they would be re-assessed.

The provision of hearings aids throughout Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent was reviewed in 2019 following the release of:- (i) the findings of a Cochrane review in 2017; (i) publication of NICE Guideline NG98 - Hearing Loss in Adults: Assessment. After consideration of relevant clinical evidence, all six Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent CCGs agreed to undertake a formal consultation (‘Difficult Decisions’) on a number of areas which included the provision of hearings aids for non-complex needs. An initial informal consultation commenced in January 2020 to gather views of patients, the public and other interested stakeholders so that various consultation options could be devloped. However, further work had been placed on hold owing to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and it was not yet clear when this would re-commence having regard to the effect of the pandemic on the CCGs priorities and ability to undertake face to face engagement, safely.

In response to questions from a Member regarding (i) the cost savings/cost effectiveness achieved by North Staffordshire CCG since implementing their revised hearing aid policy in 2015 and; (ii) the results of the informal consultation undertaken from January to March 2020, the Accountable Officer said that he would refer back to the committee with this information, as soon as possible. In response to a further question regarding the impact of the decision on those people with mild to moderate hearing loss who had become ineligible to receive NHS hearing aids under the revised policy, particularly in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Accountable officer assured the Committee that the formal consultation and any further policy changes would take account of such matters, at the appropriate time.

Continuing, the Member expressed her serious concerns over the impact of the 2015 policy decision and an apparent lack of evidence-based commissioning by the CCG.

Another Member referred to the importance of undertaking an extensive and meaningful consultation process to include the public/service users etc. at the appropriate time. 

RESOLVED – (a) That the report be received and noted.

(b) That details of cost savings/cost effectiveness of North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group’s 2015 policy change relating to NHS hearing aid provision be shared with the Committee, as soon as possible.

(c) That the results of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Clinical Commissioning Group’s informal ‘Difficult Decisions’ consultation conducted in January to March 2020 be shared by with the Committee, as soon as possible.

(d)  That the Committee keep this matter under review and any further scrutiny of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Clinical Commissioning Groups’ policies in respect of NHS hearing aid provision be undertaken at the appropriate time, as necessary.