AQW 41573/22-27
Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford
Tabled Date: 27/02/2026
Answered On Date: 30/03/2026
Priority Written: Yes
Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail any plans in place to provide his Department's commitment to a neighbourhood-centred model of primary care community audiology service, as set out in the July 2025 Heath and Social Care Reset Plan, in order to reduce the audiology waiting list.
Answer:
My Department recognises the significant pressures on audiology services and the impact that waiting times have on patients and families. The Health and Social Care (HSC) Reset Plan, published in July 2025, identified the development of neighbourhoodcentred primary care models as a key area for service reform, including opportunities to expand communitybased audiology provision. Work is ongoing within my Department to scope how elements of the neighbourhoodcentred model could be applied within audiology services. This includes examining: Opportunities to deliver more routine audiology assessments and followup care in community settings, closer to where people live. Potential for partnership models with primary care and the voluntary/community sector, where clinically appropriate. New workforce and skillmix options that could support a shift in service delivery while maintaining clinical governance. The role of digital pathways, including remote support for hearing aid users, to reduce pressure on hospitalbased services. In parallel, HSC Trusts continue to implement local measures aimed at reducing audiology waiting times, including targeted backlog initiatives and service optimisation work. My Department is currently considering the findings of the scoping work referenced above. Any future development of a communitycentred audiology model would be subject to detailed service planning, workforce assessment, financial analysis, and stakeholder engagement. At this stage, no final decisions have been taken, but my Department remains focused on actions that can improve access to audiology services and support the wider transformation aims set out in the Reset Plan. At present the level of demand for audiology services exceeds the capacity available in the HSC leading to unacceptable waiting times for some patients. A number of factors have contributed to this, including funding pressures and missed opportunities in the past to modernise how health and social care services are delivered. As demand, in the form of referrals into Audiology Services in Northern Ireland has increased, the number of audiologists available within HSC has reduced restricting capacity. The reasons for this are complex but officials in my Department have been working closely with stakeholders to identify how rising demand can be met in the short, medium and longer term. This engagement has included discussions with HSC Trusts, workforce leads, the British Association of Audiologists, and community and primary care providers. While some of these discussions have not resolved the challenges as yet, they have been constructive and are helping to shape thinking around a more sustainable model of care. A key consideration is maintaining the right balance between hospitalbased audiology services and those that may be safely and effectively delivered in community settings, while also ensuring workforce capacity is protected. Officials are currently exploring the development of a pilot proposal for an alternative communitybased audiology model to complement existing HSC services. This pilot would allow a small group of patients to be seen in a new way in the short term, with the intention of gathering evidence to inform a longerterm solution. Further work on this model of care will be taken forward later this month to fully scope the opportunities available. Should the pilot commence and be positively evaluated, any further roll-out of such an initiative will need underpinned by an extensive tendering exercise and additional funding.
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