Doncaster Audiology Services Update
Shortly after my election in 2024, it became clear that audiology services in Doncaster were not meeting the needs of my constituents. Residents have been left waiting for up to four years for basic assessments and repairs. Consequently, many people have seen their day-to-day routine and quality of life severely impacted.
In September 2024, the Trust paused audiology appointments to implement improvements in their service. Since then, we have seen progress, however, I still receive regular enquiries from constituents who are not having their needs met.
Over the past 18 months I have met with the Doncaster Audiology Action Group who have done an excellent job to raise awareness of this issue. I have held meetings with the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Trust and South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) both to hold them to account, and work with them to ensure better communication with those on the waiting list. Furthermore, I have requested that the ICB, in collaboration with the Trust, set up a “Day of Action” in which a local site is used to carry out mass hearing aid assessments and basic services in order to help clear some of the backlog. I will continue to push for this in the coming weeks and update residents further when progress is made.
In January, I raised Doncaster’s audiology services in Parliament and last week I met with Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State for Care, to further discuss the issues in Doncaster and the inclusion of audiology services in the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan for England, so that nationally we can see an improvement in this area.
The Trust advise that over the past year, they have undertaken work to stabilise services and reduce backlogs. This has included:
• Commissioning additional clinical capacity through insourcing.
• Prioritising long-waiting patients and improving waiting list data quality.
• Refocusing workforce capacity on diagnostics and fittings.
• Strengthening operational oversight and performance monitoring.
They have informed me that for diagnostic appointments, the average wait has reduced from over 52 weeks to 22 weeks. All remaining patients are scheduled to receive a first appointment by the end of March 2026. For hearing aid fittings, they say that the average wait has reduced from over 104 weeks to around 15 weeks, and from April 2026, patients are expected to receive a fitting within eight weeks of diagnosis. For repairs, they have told me that most patients are now seen within seven days. I will continue to monitor this and take feedback from constituents to ensure these targets are being met.
I do hope that this gives patients some reassurance that action is being taken to improve services in Doncaster. I can assure residents that I will continue to work alongside partners and hold the service to account. Doncaster residents deserve an audiology service that it fit for purpose and allows them to live day-to-day with dignity.
If you would like further information on the work being done by myself in Parliament or by local health partners you can get in touch with my office:
📧sally.jameson.mp@parliament.uk
📞01302 326297