Issue - meetings

6.1 The Committee considered a report from NHS Sussex providing an overview of audiology services in East Sussex, including an outline of pathways, barriers to accessing audiology services and how services were commissioned including whether there were any commissioning gaps. The report also outlined future commissioning plans, noting the fragility of the provider market, and that NHS Sussex was seeking to implement a new model from July 2025.

6.2 The Committee noted that current audiology pathways were confusing to patients asked how this was being addressed.

Wendy Young, NHS Sussex Director of Acute Services Commissioning and Transformation, accepted that the pathways could be confusing for patients, as the Any Qualified Provider (AQP) contract model resulted in there being number providers. As part of the future commissioning of the service NHS Sussex aimed to make access to information and services much simpler, which would likely move away from the AQP model and to a single-Sussex model that would provide patients with a single point of entry for accessing the service.

6.3 The Committee raised concerns that there were insufficient levels of provision in some areas of the county, especially rural ones, and asked for comment.

6.4 Wendy Young noted that the current AQP model made it difficult to ensure there was sufficient coverage in areas with lower population density, because providers were paid based on activity, which made it more cost effective for them to be based in more densely populated areas. Wendy also noted that there was good coverage across East Sussex, but this could be improved under the new commissioning approach.

6.5 The Committee noted that in some cases people were being directed to private services where their GP practice did not provide earwax removal services and asked for explanation.

6.6 Wendy Young responded that the expectation of locally commissioned services was that if a particular practice did not offer earwax removal, then there should be an inter-practice referral to another practice that does offer it. There were ten practices in East Sussex that did not offer the service which should be offering inter-practice referral, and Wendy agreed to check that this was happening.

6.7 The Committee asked what services were available for people in domiciliary and care home settings.

6.8 Wendy Young explained there was a domiciliary service for patients unable to travel to appointments and this would continue under new commissioning arrangements. Wendy agreed to share the detail of the provision and criteria for access outside the meeting.

6.9 The Committee asked for detail on what the expected new commissioning model would look like.

6.10     Wendy Young responded that consideration was being given to a number of different commissioning models, noting that the AQP model incentivises providers to base themselves where they get the highest footfall and therefore highest income. It would most likely move towards a single-Sussex primary provider model, which would enable NHS Sussex to have more influence on the location of provider sites and ensure better access for patients.

6.11     The Committee noted that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6