UCLH, Manchester and Nottingham BRC researchers are working with patients and the public to develop a 5-year UK action plan for hearing loss and tinnitus research, to improve hearing health.
The plan aims to set out the conditions to grow and sustain hearing and tinnitus research in the UK, and the group will be contacting researchers and clinicians in the coming months. This includes a national survey and focus groups to explore researcher experiences and perspectives.
The decision to develop the action plan for 2023 to 2028 was agreed at a December 2020 roundtable meeting convened by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), which brought together a wide range of stakeholders across the hearing loss and tinnitus sectors from discovery through to translational and clinical science.
The plan will develop actions to:
- build research infrastructure and establish a research culture
- build capacity within the NHS to support research
- Grow capability including the next generation of research leaders and clinical academics
- increase opportunities for patients and the public to be involved and participate in research.
The working group includes the DHSC, NHS England, the BRCs at Manchester, Nottingham and UCLH, British Tinnitus Association, RNiD, UK Research and Innovation Medical Research Council, NIHR and people with lived experience of hearing loss and tinnitus. A sub-group, known as the research delivery group, is responsible for the day-to-day operational activities and includes the following BRC-funded secondees:
- NIHR Manchester BRC: Amanda Hall
- NIHR Nottingham BRC: Kathryn Fackrell
- NIHR UCLH BRC: Bhavisha Parmar and Giorgos Dritsakis
If you are involved in hearing loss or tinnitus research and would like to make contact with the working group, please contact Bhavisha Parmar (bhavisha.parmar@ucl.ac.uk) or Giorgos Dritsakis (g.dritsakis@ucl.ac.uk).
The working group are looking for academic researchers and healthcare professionals delivering research on hearing loss or tinnitus in the UK to complete an online survey about their experiences with hearing loss and/or tinnitus research.
Image: Rido / Adobe Stock
