Current status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to undertake a review of the regulation of the audiology workforce, and, if so, whether it will provide details of this.
The Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland made recommendations with regard to ensuring that audiologists are eligible for registration upon completion of training but did not include a recommendation for audiologists to be regulated by statute. At present, audiologists below the academic qualification threshold for statutory registration with the Health and Care Professions Council are expected to join the Professional Standards Authority-accredited voluntary register held by the Academy of Healthcare Science (AHCS). The review implementation group will be considering whether accreditation with the AHCS remains appropriate and sufficient. Discussions on the statutory regulation of audiologists would also need to take place on a four-country basis.