To ask the Minister of Health to detail his plans to address the high levels of audiology waiting times in Health and Social Care Trusts.

Audiology Services in Northern Ireland have been impacted by Covid, and other general overarching pressures, this has led to waiting times across the region.

At the end of last year, the SPPG was asked to establish an Audiology Task and Finish Group to work with Trusts across the HSC to get a better understanding of the population’s audiology needs in Northern Ireland. This task group is currently considering referrals and other demand into the audiology service, capacity available in each Trust and workforce need and availability.

This analysis will identify the total demand for audiology services within Northern Ireland, capacity available to manage the demand and the gap within the service in advance of any additionality required to address this.