Deaf News: Lack of accurate data contributes to £30bn bill for hearing loss, report says

Public bodies not collecting enough information on hearing loss is adding to a £30 billion cost to the UK, according to the UK National Eye-health and Hearing Study (UKNEHS).

The report, which calls for “reliable, up-to-date data on sensory loss and its main causes”, comes as the UKNEHS requests the Government support the first national survey looking into the issue.

Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, Chair of the Executive Board of the UKNEHS said: “The UK has not invested effectively in collecting population data for vision and hearing loss.

“The UKNEHS is of vital importance to current and future generations if we are serious about providing quality, evidence-based services in these areas.”

The document goes on to add that there are “no reliable estimates” of those at risk of or living with hearing loss in the UK, saying that it is “impossible to direct resources where they are needed most”.

The comments come two months after the charity Action on Hearing Loss found that around 95% of NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups in England do not have the “bare information” needed to commission hearing services.

Lord Colin Low, co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment, said “If the UK is serious about reducing the levels of preventable visual impairment and hearing loss, then we must have the data that the UKNEHS will provide.

“If we don’t fund this kind of research we are saying that we accept that people living in the UK will lose their vision and hearing due to preventable causes, and that it is OK for them to live with hearing and vision loss that is treatable.”

If the Government agrees to invest in the research, the UKNEHS would see 25,000 participants undergo an eye and hearing test and complete a basic questionnaire.

The study would then determine the causes of hearing loss and how common it is in the UK population for those aged 50 and over.

Members of the public are now being encouraged to ask their MP to support the project, with those interested being asked to email contact@UKNEHS.org.uk for more information.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and blogger from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, politics, theatre, books and music on his Twitter and on his website.