06 July 2016

Hearing Health – a matter for trained professionals only

Recent media reports are simply incorrect when they say that the hearing services sector is completely unregulated.

The media reports fail to make it clear that all members of the Hearing Care Industry Association (HCIA) are registered to provide services under the Federal Government hearing services program and are also regulated by Commonwealth/State/Territory legislation governing health complaints laws, public health regulation, consumer protection law, employment law, criminal law and the law of contracts.

That said, currently anyone can still set-up a hearing clinic if they are working in the private market only. HCIA members do not approve of that practice. We believe that the employment of accredited audiologists or audiometrists should be required.

HCIA members only employ audiometrists and audiometrists who are accredited by their professional bodies and who comply with the National Code of Conduct of all health workers.

With 450,000 hearing aids prescribed around Australia each year, we urge all Australians to avoid unnecessary risks and only deal with expert accredited clinicians. HCIA members adopt standards to ensure that every client will receive the most appropriate assistance that deals with their hearing loss and their individual needs.

Contact

Rebecca McCarthy, 0405 117 114‬, info@hcia.com.au