Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England has made an assessment of trends in the level of variation in referral pathways for adult audiology services in England, including referrals between community providers, NHS trusts and specialist centres.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning audiology services to meet the needs of their local populations, taking account of relevant national guidance and local service arrangements. Adult audiology services are delivered through a range of service models, resulting in some variation in referral pathways.

NHS England collects national activity and waiting time data for audiology services but has not undertaken a specific assessment of referral pathway variation. NHS England has established a National Audiology Improvement Collaborative which provides improvement support to audiology services to review and redesign pathways, including referral pathways, and the learning from this improvement collaborative is shared nationally.

By shifting care from hospital to community and investing in digital tools and neighbourhood health services, the 10-Year Health Plan will deliver simpler, faster, and more coordinated referral pathways, helping people access the right care at the right time.