A resource for everyone
2ears2hear is a resource for everyone with an interest in bilateral cochlear implants and the importance of securing NHS funding.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) consultation has proceeded beyond what was anticipated to be it's final stage. The committee have requested further information about nationally agreed discounts for second implants and we hope this is a sign that far-reaching recommendations for bilateral implantation are being considered.
Read more on the NICE website.
We also hope that the committee have had an opportunity to read the latest cost utility study, published last month
Cochlear implantation (CIs) is a vital technology providing access to sound for children and adults who are too deaf to benefit from hearing aids. But, unlike hearing aids, most NHS patients have been given just one cochlear implant (CI) despite the fact that all of us need two ears to hear fully. The UK has fallen behind many other countries where two (bilateral) CIs – one for each ear – are routine, in recognition of the importance of two-sided (binaural) hearing.
For all severely and profoundly deaf people, bilateral CIs are vital for the ability to localise where sound is coming from and for better understanding of speech in background noise. They are an important development in removing the barriers between deaf people and the hearing world. Binaural hearing is vital in all settings, whether educational, work or social, and when it comes to being able to tell the direction of a car horn or a warning shout, it can be the difference between life and death.