Let me start this debate by welcoming the Minister to her seat and to her new role, as I believe that this is her first time responding from the Front Bench. I am sure that she will be excellent, and I look forward to her response.
Doncaster has a long and proud history of supporting the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. It is home to the historic Doncaster school for deaf children, which was founded on 2 November 1829 by Rev. William Carr Fenton. That legacy continues today through the Carr Fenton Foundation site, which provides a nationally recognised resource, including a nursery, Yorkshire Rose college, employability services, and so much more. However, not long after I was elected, it became clear to me that audiology services in Doncaster were a huge cause of concern to many of my constituents. People were waiting years for basic appointments, hearing aids and even essential hearing aid repairs—sometimes three, four or five years.
I thank my hon. Friend for bringing this debate to the House. It is not just Doncaster that is impacted by this issue, because Doncaster and Bassetlaw teaching hospitals NHS foundation trust stretches right across Bassetlaw. I have had similar experiences with my constituents; in fact, every time I have a meeting or a coffee morning, or am knocking on doors, I will find somebody who has been waiting years for treatment. Today, a coach tour of 50 constituents came to the House, and two of them have had problems getting treatment for audiology issues.
I will talk about Martin, who I met this morning. He has hearing aids, and had issues with them, as his hearing had changed. He has waited more than three and a half years to get them replaced. In fact, he can no longer use them, because they do not meet his needs. That is one story; there are many more. While I know that the situation is improving, and treatment is given every time I raise a case with the hospital, there are many thousands of people across my constituency who face this situation. This is a very important issue, and I thank my hon. Friend again for raising it.
That goes to show that this is a widespread issue. This is happening not just in Doncaster, but further afield, and thousands upon thousands of people have been impacted. At one stage, the audiology service at Doncaster royal infirmary temporarily shut down. While some of the emergency cases and children’s cases were reallocated to neighbouring services, a lot of people were left with pretty much nothing. They were totally uncertain about when, or even if, they would receive an appointment.
The impact on the hard-of-hearing community in my area has been truly devastating. Waiting lists have grown well into the thousands, and many people have felt isolated and forgotten. During this difficult period, the integrated care board and the Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospital trust have worked to improve the service, but as my hon. Friend the Member for Bassetlaw (Jo White) has pointed out, that took a lot of time. Alongside campaigners Maggie and Paul, who formed the Doncaster Audiology Action Group, and my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (Lee Pitcher), we held regular meetings with the NHS to press for action. With the support of the fantastic Healthwatch team, an audiology action event was held last month, giving residents the opportunity to access information about the service and receive basic hearing aid repairs, as well as to speak directly to stakeholders and support services.
There is still a long way to go; the waiting list is still too long. Constituents contact me, and there are times when I can contact the hospital and we manage to speed up treatment, but not in all cases. Eighteen months on, improvements are beginning to show. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the dedicated audiology team at Doncaster royal infirmary, who have worked tirelessly to try to turn the service around. However, this experience has shown me just how important audiology services are, yet how often they are overlooked.
I agree with my hon. Friend that the audiology action day was phenomenal, and that those in the audiology services at Doncaster royal infirmary are doing everything they can to improve the service that they offer my constituents, who are their patients. I have been exploring other opportunities; for example, I have been working with Specsavers in Thorne, to see whether there are services available on the high street that we can maximise and use. Does my hon. Friend agree that we need to work with the integrated care board, and either use high-street shops that can provide patients with services much closer to home, or introduce pop-up services, maybe in isolated rural areas, like mine in the Isle of Axholme?
I completely agree with my hon. Friend. As he knows, some appointments were outsourced during this period, but if we are honest, it was not enough. The waiting list is still far too long, and too many people have been waiting four or five years, so part of our collective ask as MPs for these areas is that the Minister continues to press the ICB to look at what resource is available for outsourcing more to the high street—at least in the short term—so that we can clear the backlog and get the waiting list back under control in a more effective way.
Without proper audiology care, lives can be fundamentally changed. People become isolated from their families, their communities, and society as a whole. I have had people get in touch with me who have stopped going to family events because they cannot hear the conversation properly—they end up sitting in a room, not enjoying themselves and unable to participate in conversations. That is incredibly isolating, and in a world where we talk a lot more about loneliness, particularly following the covid pandemic, that needs extra scrutiny. Just by clearing the waiting list and getting people appointments, we can really change lives. Hearing loss also affects confidence and wellbeing. I have heard from constituents who have been worried about keeping their job because they cannot hear properly on the telephone. This impacts all age groups, and those at all stages of life. This experience has shown me personally just how important audiology is.
I am concerned about the link between loss of hearing and dementia. If somebody who is experiencing hearing loss goes down that horrible path of dementia and loss of memory, the lack of communication can spiral and make their condition explode. It becomes much more life-changing, much more quickly. Access to audiology services for people with dementia, or symptoms of dementia, is absolutely imperative, and I am so worried that those people are missing out on this very important course of treatment.
My hon. Friend is completely right. In a world in which we focus a lot on how we can treat and slow the progress of dementia and Alzheimer’s, this is something we really need to look at. That is key, and it is worrying and disappointing to us all that our constituents will be more susceptible to this issue because they do not have the service that might be available in other areas.
My hon. Friend the Member for Bassetlaw (Jo White) mentioned dementia. This is Dementia Action Week. The ability to hear is so important, not just for the obvious reasons, but in the broader context of dementia. This is about dignity and being able to enjoy precious moments. The Alzheimer’s Society has a regular “singing for the brain” event at Cantley community centre, and it is a beautiful way to bring people together. The ability to hear, converse and grasp that music is so important. Does my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster Central (Sally Jameson) agree, in Dementia Action Week, that we must continue to fight for audiology services for that reason? What a wonderful way to show that we care—doing something in this place to help all those people who will live with dementia in the coming years.
I completely agree with my hon. Friend. I reassure him that I will not attend the Alzheimer’s Society’s “singing for the brain” event in Cantley, as that would be devastating for everyone who had to hear it. It is important that we start to raise awareness of the knock-on effects that poor audiology services can have on wider society, and on people’s health generally.
I ask the Minister to consider the following important points. First, will she ensure that the NHS 10-year plan includes greater investment in training audiologists across the country, so that areas like Doncaster never again face such severe staff shortages? But this is not just about investment; it is also about raising awareness. Many young people would not even consider audiology as a career, and would not even be aware that it exists. Part of this is making sure that the workforce plan reaches out to young people, and informs them about the different jobs available in the NHS, as opposed to just the traditional ones that everyone thinks about. We need to do more of that locally, and I know my hon. Friends here will that that point into schools and colleges. We have a new university technical college, specialising in medical science, opening in Doncaster in the not-too-distant future. I will definitely be banging the drum on this, along with my hon. Friends, to make sure that audiology is included, so that people understand from an early age that it is a good career, available to them.
Secondly, will the Minister carefully consider the recommendations of the Kingdon review, including the recommendation on the introduction of a single professional register for audiologists, improved governance for audiology services and reform of how children’s audiology services are delivered? It is so important that we get audiology right at the earliest possible stage, because when these problems are missed, it can be truly damaging later in life. It is so important that we capture young people who require support, and also that lessons are learned from audiology failures, so that we do not find this happening again. Whether in Doncaster or in other parts of the country, it is important to look at that. Potentially under-resourced or at-risk NHS diagnostic and children’s services should also be highlighted, so that immediate action is taken to make sure that services do not fall below standard.
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster Central (Sally Jameson) for securing the debate. I commend her advocacy on this issue, and thank her for all her tireless work on behalf of her constituents in bringing it to the House's attention. I also know that my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (Lee Pitcher) asked a business question on the subject during the last parliamentary Session. It is clear that there is strong local concern across Doncaster, and I am immensely proud to respond directly today during my first debate as a Minister.
Let me begin by acknowledging what many constituents experience when audiology services are not working well. It is deeply frustrating when people need a hearing assessment, a follow-up appointment or a hearing aid repair and cannot get it within a reasonable time. For many, that is not just inconvenient; it can be isolating and can affect confidence, independence and wellbeing. Families and carers also feel the strain as they try to navigate appointments and periods without support. We will ensure that that changes. Like my hon. Friend, this Government will not stop until everyone has timely access to essential services such as audiology, as part of our mission to ensure that the NHS is fit for the future.
I want to start with Doncaster. I was shocked to learn from my hon. Friend that constituents have faced long waits, repeat appointments, and periods without working hearing aids. It is also concerning that some people have been asked to return because the right assessment or adjustment was not available on the first occasion. That situation is a lose-lose: it is distressing for patients, and it is an inefficient use of clinical time. Let me be absolutely clear: it is not acceptable, and it must improve. I will now set out briefly what has happened, what actions have been taken, and what further progress we need to see.
10:22 pm
House adjourned.
If the situation in Doncaster and Bassetlaw shows us anything, it is that audiology can no longer be treated as a Cinderella service in our NHS. If we are really going to move to prevention as opposed to cure, it is really important that this becomes a recognised priority, so that deaf and hard-of-hearing people receive not only the support they need, but the quality of life that they deserve. I hope that this debate is just the start of an important conversation that needs to take place here in Westminster and across the country.
Doncaster’s audiology services have faced significant challenges, and I acknowledge that there were delays for hearing tests and follow-up appointments. I understand that one underlying issue has been insufficient numbers of staff who are fully trained to carry out all the specialist assessments. That created a backlog, with neighbouring services and external specialists supporting the most urgent cases. The NHS region has prioritised cases that involve safeguarding or developmental concerns. The trust has recognised those problems and has put in place a recovery plan, including upgraded facilities and improved booking and tracking. I am told that most adult hearing services have recovered. As for children’s audiology, the backlog is also shrinking, and outside specialists are helping until the local team complete their training. The hospital is also using new digital tools and regular review meetings to keep track of performance and risks. Further development on the recovery plan will mean an improvement in audiology services and patients returning to be seen on time.
The pressures that we have seen in Doncaster also reflect wider challenges across diagnostic and community services. When we talk about diagnostic audiology, we mean assessments to diagnose hearing and balance conditions. Audiology services are not only about diagnostics; for many people, this means long-term support providing rehabilitation, ongoing monitoring, treatment and support for a number of lifelong conditions, such as hearing therapy and hearing aid fitting and maintenance. That is why cutting waiting lists, including those for diagnostic tests, is a key priority for the Government.
We are backing that priority with investment to help services to recover performance and improve the experience for patients, including their experience of audiology. We are improving and transforming NHS audiology services, for instance through a national improvement collaborative to test changes that improve access and patient experience. Four NHS trusts took part in 2024-25, and a further eight have joined in the last financial year, including Somerset, Leicester, Oxford and Gateshead. We have learnt that when local teams have been empowered to drive change, that has led to improvements in services. Improvement depends on having the right kit and environment as well, which is why the Government have invested £13 million in audiology equipment and facilities across 66 capital schemes. We are also expanding access by delivering more diagnostics and assessment in the community.
Let me now turn to children’s audiology more broadly. As my hon. Friend said, it vital that children and young people can access timely, safe audiology services. The paediatric hearing services improvement programme was established in 2023 to address the risks to paediatric diagnostic audiology across England, and as part of the programme progress has been made in improving the paediatric audiology service in Doncaster. I welcome the 2025 review of children’s hearing services, undertaken by Dr Camilla Kingdon and with a response under consideration. NHS England is committed to reviewing the future direction for high-quality, sustainable children’s hearing services, with clearer end-to-end pathways and shared priorities. The workforce requirements for hearing services are also being considered as part of the 10-year workforce plan.
We know that clearer commissioning expectations help to drive consistency and equity across the country. NHS England is developing new commissioning guidance for integrated care boards and providers on safe, high-quality and equitable paediatric audiology, covering service configuration, workforce, estates, equipment, data and safeguarding. By taking action on multiple fronts, we will restore performance and ensure that improvement continues.
Finally, I turn to community audiology services, which are delivered in community settings and commissioned by integrated care boards, based on the needs of their local population. We know that community health services have the power to better align care with people’s day-to-day lives, but when it comes to community audiology, people are waiting far too long and there is local variation in services. That is why, for the first time, we have set a clear target to reduce long waits for community health services, including community audiology services. By 2028-29, at least 80% of activity across community health services should take place within 18 weeks. To support the shift to neighbourhood health, we have asked systems to increase the capacity of community health services and to work to standardise the provision of core community services.
I am most grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster Central for bringing forward this debate and for speaking up for her constituents. She mentioned the Doncaster school for deaf children and the Carr Fenton Foundation, and just how imperative it is that we deliver in areas like hers, which have such needs. We are committed to improving access through local recovery, national improvement support and more provision through community services.
To return to Doncaster, I have heard the concerns about long waits for repeat appointments and the problems with hearing aid provision. The trust has made progress, particularly for adult services. The paediatric service is improving and the waiting list is reducing, with external support in place while workforce training is completed. We will continue to work with local leaders to deliver timely appointments and reliable support, and we will go further still by reforming community audiology to shift more care from hospitals to communities, ensuring that our NHS is fit for the future.