Any Qualified Provider (AQP) Adult Hearing Loss Service (age 50 and over) for Lincolnshire

The service is for suitably qualified providers who have experience of delivering Adult Hearing Loss Services (to those aged 50 and over). Providers must have the ability to deliver a comprehensive patient-centred direct access adult hearing service for age related hearing loss in line with national guidance and local requirements. Delivering a high quality, efficient service closer to home, with short waiting times and a high level of responsiveness to the needs of local communities.

The Adult Hearing Loss Service is aimed at adults (aged 50 and over) experiencing difficulties with their hearing and communication who feel they might benefit from hearing assessment and care including the option of trying hearing aids to reduce these difficulties. The service will be comprehensive and will be in line with the National Commissioning Framework, other national guidance and will met local requirements.

The key principles of the service are:

• Compliance with established clinical guidelines and good practice.
• Encourage early identification, diagnosis and management of hearing loss through improved patient and professional education
• Provide person-centred care and devices tailored to service user need
• Respond to information and the psychosocial needs of service users including families and carers of those living with poor hearing
• Provide timely signposting to lip reading classes and assistive technologies and other rehabilitation services
• Promote inclusion and participation of people who are deaf or hard or hearing
• Improve the service through research and development and the adoption of new evidence based technologies and practices
• Ensure that NHS resource is used economically and wisely for the benefit of the local population
• Improve public health and occupational health focus on hearing loss;
• Reduce prevalence of avoidable permanent hearing loss;

All providers of Adult Hearing Services must ensure that there are local arrangements for referral into more specialist medical services in line with British Academy of Audiology (BAA) Guidelines .

The purpose of the Adult Hearing Service is to ensure:

• Equitable access to high and consistent quality care for all people using the service;
• A safe hearing service that conforms to the accreditation standards set out in the Improving Quality In Physiological Diagnostic Services (IQIPS) Accreditation Scheme;
• The service should also recognise published clinical guidelines and good practice (as set out in Section 4 - Applicable Service Standards).

At this stage Lincolnshire West CCG is not planning on contracting for this service but is included within this notification to enable participation at a later date should the need arise.

Please note, the 4 Lincolnshire CCGs will be combining from 1st April 2020 to form NHS Lincolnshire CCG and this will be the contracting authority.