---
title: "Community hearing aids service for age-related hearing loss - C378303"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05017d"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05017d"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05017d.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05017d.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NHS SUSSEX INTEGRATED CARE BOARD"
published: "2026-01-22"
---

# Community hearing aids service for age-related hearing loss - C378303

Buyer: NHS SUSSEX INTEGRATED CARE BOARD  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05017d

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## Summary

The NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board has concluded the procurement process for the provision of community hearing aids services for age-related hearing loss, awarding the contract under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. This service is specifically targeted at adults aged 55 and over within the region classified as UKJ2, covering East Sussex, West Sussex, and Brighton & Hove. The contract, valued at approximately £65 million for a potential 10-year duration, aims to ensure efficient delivery of hearing aid services, with the initial term starting on 1st April 2026 for seven years, extendable for an additional three years. The procurement process followed the 'Open procedure' methodology, and the procurement stage has now reached completion with a confirmed award status as of 22nd January 2026.

This tender offers substantial opportunities for business growth, particularly for providers experienced in delivering services aligned with national guidelines such as the Improving Quality In Physiological Diagnostic Services (IQIPS). It is particularly suitable for organisations capable of maintaining flexible, high-quality service provision as the contract guarantees no minimum activity — service participation is driven by patient choice and volume of referrals. Providers like large-scale healthcare service companies could benefit from this opportunity, leveraging the potential revenue based on patient activity. Successful suppliers, including Audiological Science Ltd, Modality LLP, Scrivens Ltd, and Specsavers Optical Superstores Limited, underscore the competitive nature and potential for substantial business development in the healthcare services industry.

## Notice

NHS Sussex has awarded this contract to suitably qualified and experienced providers for the delivery of community-based hearing aid services for adults aged 55 and over. Eligible providers have been accredited to deliver services as part of an AQP multi-provider model. Successful providers have been awarded contracts via Provider Selection Regime Direct Award Process B. No minimum activity is guaranteed for accredited providers - each provider's participation depends on patient choice and referral volume. Individual Provider contracts will be zero value and any payments made will be based on activity performed. The annual service value total for all current AQP Providers (23/24 outturn) was approx PS6.5m. So, for 7 years + 3 year option = PS65,000,000.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

NHS Sussex has awarded this contract to suitably qualified and experienced providers for the delivery of community-based hearing aid services for adults aged 55 and over. Eligible providers have been accredited to deliver services as part of an AQP multi-provider model. Successful providers have been awarded contracts via Provider Selection Regime Direct Award Process B. The initial contract duration will be 7 years commencing on 1 April 2026, with the option to extend for a further 3 years, offered via an NHS standard contract. The Commissioner reserves the right to further extend the contract beyond the 10-year maximum duration subject to: a. The requirements of Provider Selection Regime Process B. b. Re-confirmation of an applicant's accreditation status. Aims and objectives: The overall ambitions of NHS Sussex in commissioning this service are: * To strengthen our contribution to prevention and reduce health inequalities * To promote patient education, self-management and empowerment; * To improve the quality and safety of care and outcomes improvement; * To support people to age well - falls prevention, healthy and active ageing, addressing loneliness, isolation and supporting independence and reducing the need for intervention; * Integrated working with patients, carers and the local community and voluntary sector. The aims of the service are for people with hearing problems to have: * access to high quality, safe and efficient NHS hearing aids services, with short waiting times and high responsiveness to the needs of local communities, free at the point of access; * choice as to where and when their treatment is delivered The key objectives of this service are to: * Improve public health and occupational health through treatment of hearing loss * Provide equitable access to consistently high-quality care for all patients using the service * Encourage identification, diagnosis and management of age-related hearing loss through improved patient and professional education, including timely signposting to lip reading classes and assistive technologies and other rehabilitation services * Promote inclusion and participation of people who have hearing loss * Be compliant with clinical guidance and good practice * Conform to the recognised quality assurance tool Improving Quality In Physiological Diagnostic Services (IQIPS) The expected outcomes of the service are: * Timely access to hearing assessment, fitting and follow-up * High proportion of patients continuing to wear hearing aids * High levels of satisfaction from patients accessing the service and health professionals referring into the service * Reduced social isolation and consequent mental ill health * Improved quality of life for patients, their families/carers and communication partners. Service Requirements: Providers should be able to offer a comprehensive, patient centred service for adults aged 55 and over with suspected or diagnosed hearing loss related with age, encompassing: * Hearing assessment * Hearing aid fitting and calibration to national guidelines * After care: maintenance, repairs, consumables (batteries, tubing), and follow-up reviews Providers are required to conform to the recognised quality assurance tool Improving Quality In Physiological Diagnostic Services (IQIPS). IQIPs accreditation must be achieved (or demonstrate willingness to achieve accreditation within 18 months of contract award). No minimum activity is guaranteed for accredited providers - each provider's participation depends on patient choice and referral volume. Individual Provider contracts will be zero value and any payments made will be based on activity performed. The annual service value total for all current AQP Providers (23/24 outturn) was approx PS6.5m. So, for 7 years + 3 year option = PS65,000,000.

Options: This contract has a 7 year (84 month) initial term. The Commissioner at its sole discretion can extend this contract for up to an additional period of up to 3 years (36 additional months). The Commissioner reserves the right to further extend the contract beyond the 10-year maximum duration subject to: a. The requirements of Provider Selection Regime Process B. b. Re-confirmation of an applicant's accreditation status.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005871-2026 |
| Notice type | Planning Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 22 Jan 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 2 Sep 2025 |
| Future notice date | 31 May 2025 |
| Award date | 19 Dec 2025 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £65,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £1 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NHS SUSSEX INTEGRATED CARE BOARD |
| Locality | LEWES |
| Post town | Brighton |
| Postcode | BN7 2FZ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex |
| ITL 3 | TLJ22 East Sussex CC |
| Local authority | Lewes |
| Electoral ward | Lewes Bridge |
| Westminster constituency | Lewes |
| Delivery location | TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 4 |
| Supplier names | AUDIOLOGICAL SCIENCE; MODALITY; SCRIVENS; SPECSAVERS OPTICAL SUPERSTORES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products
- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 33185000 - Hearing aids
- 85121240 - ENT or audiologist services

## Release History

- 22 Jan 2026 at 15:31 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005871-2026
- 12 Aug 2025 at 07:54 - TenderUpdate - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/047826-2025
- 7 Aug 2025 at 13:55 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/046978-2025
- 11 Apr 2025 at 12:25 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014614-2025

## Notice URLs

- https://atamis-1928.my.site.com/s/Welcome
- https://www.england.nhs.uk/
- https://www.sussex.ics.nhs.uk/

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05017d. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05017d.json.