NHSE produce new guide on planning for hearing loss in Joint Strategic Needs Assessments

25 June 2019

The Alliance today (25/06/2019) welcomed the publication of the new guidance on Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs). This guidance will be crucial in helping health and social commissioners address the needs of children and adults with hearing loss. The JSNA guide is designed to be used alongside NHS England's Commissioning Services for People with Hearing Loss: A Framework for Clinical Commissioning Groups.

The guidance is part of the continuing work on the Action Plan on Hearing Loss. The guide was co produced by NHS England, the Local Government Association, the Association of Directors of Public Health, Public Health England, Action on Hearing Loss, National Community Hearing Association and the National Deaf Children's Society.

The guide recognises that  "The scale and impact of unsupported hearing loss now requires a coordinated response across the health and care system, and at the heart of this is ensuring that hearing needs are accurately captured in every local Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)."

It bring together "the available evidence and timely data on hearing loss so that
local authorities and NHS commissioners can include hearing needs in local JSNAs. It will help local decision makers define the future health, care and wellbeing needs of their local populations with regards to hearing loss and access national guidance on how local services can help them to meet these needs."

The guide will help leaders in "local health and care systems to work together
to secure integrated care for individuals with hearing loss, tackle unmet needs, improve outcomes and reduce health inequalities. It therefore presents an important step forward in the integration programme across health and social care sectors."

The guide can be accessed at;

-          https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/joint-strategic-needs-assessment-guidance.pdf

and there is an associated data tool to support the planning process at; 

-          https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/joint-strategic-needs-assessment-toolkit/