NHS Shetland remains committed to providing a permanent audiology service for patients.
To ensure successful recruitment and retention of a suitably skilled, substantive audiologist, we are undertaking a review of the whole service before advertising a position. This review will form part of a service delivery plan to ease the existing backlog of patients waiting for review appointments, as well as new GP direct referrals for both paediatric and adult patients.
Currently, there is an interim service provided by a combination of visiting audiologists, who are also participating in the review process. When the visiting clinicians are unavailable, we will strive to obtain locum cover.
Lucy Wilson, Head of Medical Imaging and Interim Diagnostics Lead, said: “We appreciate your patience while we undertake this review and sincerely hope to recruit a suitable audiologist who will fulfil the needs of the Shetland community.
“I would like to ask for your ongoing understanding with appointment times, as appointments will be allocated based on priority, which may lead to some, who have a shorter waiting time, being seen sooner than others.
“Patient priority currently goes to those who have no hearing aid provision, along with paediatrics and patients awaiting ENT treatments.”