Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS audiology providers in England are subject to (i) high assurance, (ii) partial assurance and (iii) improvement support under NHS England’s national audiology improvement programme; and what assurance status applies to NHS providers delivering audiology services in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton constituency.

The National Audiology Improvement Collaborative, delivered by NHS Elect and commissioned by NHS England, supports audiology services to improve access, reduce waiting times, and improve patient experience and quality. It began in 2024/25 with four teams, three of which achieved significant, measured improvements in waiting times. A further eight teams were supported in 2025/26 and 20 more will join in 2026/27. Learning is being shared through webinars and conferences, and NHS Elect will publish an improvement guide later in 2026.

Data on how many audiology providers are in each rating category is currently being collected. Bognor Regis and Littlehampton are served by the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, whose paediatric audiology service has been rated as high assurance since the start of the programme, most recently confirmed in May 2025.