(2) what the average waiting time for a digital hearing aid is in each health trust area in the Province;
(3) how many patients are waiting for a digital hearing aid in each health trust area in the Province.
Information on the longest waiting time for a digital hearing aid in each health trust area in 2005-06 is not collected centrally (103431). Information is also not collected centrally on the average waiting time for a digital hearing aid in each health trust in the province (103432). However, information was collected on the number of completed waits for a hearing assessment/re-assessment for the quarter ending 31 March 2006. This is the first quarter for which information has been collected, according to specified time bands for each health and social services board. Waiting time is counted from the date a referral is received by the Audiology Department until the hearing aid is fitted.
All new patients assessed as requiring a hearing aid are fitted with a digital hearing aid. Analogue aids are normally only issued as replacements to current users of analogue aids for whom a digital hearing aid is unsuitable.
Waiting list information is collected by time band. It is therefore not possible to calculate the arithmetic mean (average) and longest waiting time for a digital hearing aid. Information in the following table shows the number of patients who were assessed and fitted with a hearing aid during quarter ending 31 March 2006 in each health and social services board by the length of time waited.
HSS board Less than three months Three to six months Six to 12 months 12 months or more All patients fitted EHSSB 769 240 114 68 1,191 NHSSB 366 38 0 0 404 SHSSB 161 14 194 219 588 WHSSB 96 259 142 0 497 Northern Ireland 1,392 551 450 287 2,680 Source: Community Information Branch return AUDI
Number waiting for a digital hearing aid at 31 March 2006:
Information on the number of patients waiting for a digital hearing aid in each health trust area in the province is not collected centrally(103433). However, information is collected on the number of patients waiting for a hearing assessment/re-assessment at the end of each quarter for each health and social services board in the province. The information in the table above is for quarter ending 31 March 2006, the first quarter for which information is available.
At 31 March 2006, 2,184 patients were waiting for a hearing assessment/re-assessment in Northern Ireland, 943 in the Southern Board, 837 in the Eastern Board, 340 in the Western Board and 64 in the Northern Board.
HSS board Less than three months Three to six months Six to 12 months 12 months or more Patients waiting EHSSB 149 208 458 22 837 NHSSB 35 29 0 0 64 SHSSB 286 183 384 90 943 WHSSB 93 0 247 0 340 Northern Ireland 563 420 1,089 112 2,184 Source: Community Information Branch return AUDI
(2) how many patients received digital hearing aids in each health trust area in the Province in each of the last 10 years.
Information on the number of patients who received digital hearing aids in each health trust area in each of the last 12 months, and in each of the last 10 years is not collected centrally. However, information was collected on the number of patients who received digital hearing aids during the quarter ending 31 March 2006, the first quarter for which information has been collected in each health and social services board.
HSS Board Number of digital hearing aids issued EHSSB 1,116 NHSSB 404 SHSSB 558 WHSSB 497 Northern Ireland 2,575 1 Figures include information on new and existing clients fitted with a digital hearing aid during quarter ending 31 March 2006. 2 Figures do not include information on digital hearing aid replacements issued during the quarter to avoid possible double counting. Source: Community Information Branch return AUDI.