Almost 200 years ago, William Carr Fenton founded a school for deaf children in Doncaster. The Carr Fenton Foundation has educated thousands of deaf and hard of hearing people across the country. Yet in Doncaster, deaf and hard of hearing people have faced years of delays for basic appointments, hearing aid fittings and even essential repairs.
Audiology services are a vital part of our healthcare system, providing initial assessment, treatment and ongoing support for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, young people and older people. When these services fail, the consequences are not merely clinical but deeply personal, affecting confidence, independence and quality of life.
Shortly after being elected in 2024, it became clear through a steady stream of constituent casework that something had gone wrong with audiology provision in Doncaster. Residents repeatedly reported waiting three, four or five years for routine appointments. Those who could pay and could no longer suffer the lesser quality of life opted for private treatment.
In September 2024, services within Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (DBTH) were paused or limited to allow for a reset. This reflected deep-rooted issues including outdated systems, workforce pressures and concerns around quality and safety. This pause further delayed care for many patients already stuck in long queues, with only a small number of urgent cases were referred to neighbouring Trusts or to private audiologists.
For many of my constituents, however, the damage had already been done. Hearing loss had left them isolated, missing conversations with loved ones or struggling to hear at work. A report by the Trust found that 11 children had received moderate harm, one was severely harmed and 13 had received low harm as a result of the delays.
Restarting services required retraining specialist staff, upgrading outdated equipment and IT systems, and reassessing what patients actually need from modern audiology care. From diagnostics and assessments, to hearing aid fitting, maintenance and repairs.
Ever frustrated with lack of information and incredibly long waits for appointments, affected residents Maggie and Paul created the Doncaster Audiology Action Group. This group has ensured that patient voices are central to the process and are in contacted with hundreds of affected Doncaster and Bassetlaw residents.
Through pressure from the action group and MPs, regular meetings have brought together the Trust, the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, Doncaster Public Health representatives and Healthwatch to scrutinise progress, push for accountability and get answers for patients.
Together with the Audiology Action Group and Lee Pitcher, MP for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, we successfully lobbied the South Yorkshire ICB for an audiology day of action. An event, poignantly hosted at the Carr Fenton Foundation, designed to deliver basic hearing aid maintenance at scale, and for service providers to meet their users and explain the difficulties the service has experienced.
The Trust have taken significant steps to address the service issues. Recent updates and discussions show that waiting times are falling, capacity is increasing and access to services is improving. Most new patients are now expected to be seen within six weeks, with hearing aid fittings taking place within eight weeks of diagnosis – bringing the service back in line with national standards. These are important achievements and should be recognised.
Improvements on paper do not always translate into real-world experience. Cases continue to emerge of constituents who remain stuck in the system, unsure when they will be seen or whether their needs will be met.
There is no doubt that Doncaster’s audiology services are on a path to recovery, and that the reforms undertaken over the past 18 months were both necessary and long overdue.
Yet progress must be judged not by statistics alone, but by the lived experience of those who rely on the service. While some patients are rightly beginning to see improvements, others continue to report delays and frustrations.
At its heart, this issue is about dignity. It is about ensuring that people who are deaf or hard of hearing can participate fully in everyday life.
Listening to Those with Hearing Difficulties – Are Doncaster’s Health Services Adequate for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Patients?
