Assisted hearing statistics (FOI)

Request 

Please can I have statistics for the number of known assisted hearing technology users who are not counted as children (i.e., I don't want statistics for children and those to be excluded): 

• Hearing aids
• BAHA
• Cochlear implants 

Is there any procedure to adjust statistics for those who: 

A

Have died

B

Have moved away from Jersey 

If so, can I have details of that. 

Response 

It is estimated that there are between 6000 and 6709 adult users of assisted hearing technology, excluding those identified separately below. This estimate is based on the number of individuals that have had new fittings and / or hearing aid sessions as recorded in the database of the Audiology Department at Jersey General Hospital. The lower estimate of 6000 includes only those individuals recorded as attending for new fittings, whilst the upper estimate of 6709 includes those that have attended hearing aid sessions. 

In addition to the above, there are also: 

765 self-funding individuals

47 BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Aid) users

16 cochlear implant (or brain stem implant) users 

Health and Community Services is not always notified that a person has moved away from the island permanently and the Audiology database does not communicate directly with the main hospital system. Resultantly, it is not currently possible to identify all those individuals that have either died or moved away from Jersey in the Audiology database.