On Friday 13 June the Minister for Health and Community Care launched the Outpatient Action Plan which will help Scotland achieve the maximum wait of 26 weeks for outpatient appointments by 2005.The Executive made a commitment to modernise audiology services in response to the Public Health Institute Report , NHS Audiology Services in Scotland.We have asked NHS boards to develop modernisation action plans for hearing aid services, and an additional £1.5 million was made available earlier this year for the purchase of new audiology equipment.