Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish their criteria for the award of contracts for the provision of audiology services to their agencies.

There are no national criteria for awarding contracts for the provision of audiology services with the exception of a small number of specialised services which are commissioned nationally by NHS England. The specifications, setting out what providers must have in place to deliver specialised audiology services, can be found on the NHS England website at the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-d/d09

The national contract for the provision of hearing aids is managed through the NHS Supply Chain and provides for the assessment of patients by National Health Service audiology professionals, as well as the provision and fitting of digital hearing aids. This contract ran from 2010 until 2014, and has subsequently been extended to July 2016. It is currently under review to determine the options for re-procurement after 2016. More information can be found at the NHS Supply Chain website at the following link:

www.supplychain.nhs.uk/product-news/contract-launch-briefs/2014/july/hearing-aids-and-accessories/