Scots face three and a half year wait for hearing loss services

Hearing loss should be tested and treated as seriously as any other medical problem, says one expert.

Scots face waiting times of up to three and a half years to access treatment for hearing loss despite experts warning it could lead to isolation and life-changing health complications.

The Sunday Post can today reveal the staggering delays between patients being referred to audiology departments across Scotland and finally receiving the care they need.

It comes after we reported last week how routine hearing care could reduce falls among older adults by almost a third and follows warnings of a link between hearing loss and dementia.

Official figures show one patient in Grampian had to wait 182 weeks – nearly three and a half years – before finally receiving treatment in 2023. However, their experience is far from an outlier.

Similarly long waits of 160 weeks last year and 165 weeks this year have been recorded by the health board. A further patient waited 175 weeks in 2022.

One patient in the Highlands had to wait 578 days, another in Shetland had to wait 539 days, and one in Lothian was left on a waiting list for 490 days.

Meanwhile, the average waiting time has doubled in health boards such as Dumfries and Galloway and the Highlands.

Full picture could be even worse

The Scottish Government’s target time from GP referral to treatment is 18 weeks – 126 days.

It has pledged to role out a new model of provision by the end of the summer but the number of people being parked on NHS waiting lists has soared by at least 5,300 since 2022.

The full picture could be even worse, with Greater Glasgow and Clyde bizarrely claiming it was unable to provide information because its system is “very old”. NHS Forth Valley also failed to respond.

Improved audiology services could protect older people, say experts.

An independent review of audiology services in 2023 found systemic failures in Scotland and raised concerns over staffing and the quality of testing to identify deafness in very young children.

Since then bosses have allowed the service to shed workers, with Scotland as a whole losing the equivalent of nearly four full time audiology staff since 2022.

Some health boards have increased their headcount but the loss has been particularly pronounced in Glasgow, which lost six people, and Ayrshire and Arran, where the equivalent of more than five full time workers have left.

Meanwhile, patients have become more reliant on a community drop-in scheme run by volunteers a few times a month in partnership with the NHS and Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID).

Critics say it operates too infrequently and is open in too few areas to fill in for national services.

Urgent action needed

Crystal Rolfe, director of strategy at RNID said the persistent and growing problem of waiting times in Scotland “needs addressing urgently”.

She said: “People are being forced to wait an unacceptable amount of time for services, causing considerable distress and disruption.

“It also means people are missing-out on the life-changing benefits that addressing hearing loss – like getting fitted with hearing aids – can bring.

Crystal Rolfe, director of strategy at RNID.

“The impact is significant. Hearing loss is linked to conditions like depression and social isolation. When left untreated, this can potentially raise the risk of cognitive decline.”

Susan Daniels, chief executive of the National Deaf Children’s Society, said she is deeply concerned that young people are still waiting far too long two years after the independent review laid bare the inadequacy of services.

“It’s a national scandal that deaf children in Scotland are still being let down,” she said.

“But this new data only confirms what we’ve known for some time – there needs to be root and branch reform of audiology services in Scotland, which are simply not fit for purpose.”

To go with story by Derek Healey. Susan Daniels, chief executive of the National Deaf Children?s Society Picture shows; Susan Daniels, chief executive of the National Deaf Children?s Society. N/A. Supplied by National Deaf Children?s Society Date; Unknown

Scottish Conservative MSP Douglas Lumsden has called for a community audiology service, similar to optometry services, to be trialled in Grampian.

He said: “The prospect of waiting up to three and a half years for a simple appointment is unconscionable. But this is the SNP’s legacy in so many areas of health today.

“Something big needs to happen and it needs to happen now, before a generation of Scots have to deal with the repercussions.”

Private providers concerned

Meeting notes seen by The Sunday Post indicate private providers believe the situation could be even worse than the government claims.

This includes one health board where the team has not seen a single NHS patient for over a year and have an aftercare backlog of two years.

Clinicians fear the government is using the 2023 review to “kick down the road” a manifesto pledge to implement a community audiology service.

The Scottish Government said: “We know services are facing sustained pressure and this is not unique to Scotland, with similar challenges being felt right across the UK.

“But some people have had to wait longer than they should for appointments and referrals – that is not acceptable.

“We are taking action, and the 2025-26 Scottish Budget is providing a record £21.7 billion for Health & Social Care.”