News Archive
HAC invites applications for research
February 5th, 2010
The HAC has written to a number of research institutions inviting them to submit proposals for research. To read the invitation, please click here.
Applications for the new aptitude test now open
December 18th, 2009
The HAC’s new test for aptitude candidates to join our register is now open. For more information, please click here.
New section on our transfer added to website
November 5th, 2009
The Government plans to abolish the Hearing Aid Council and transfer our responsibility for registering hearing aid dispensers to the Health Professions Council on 31st March 2010. If you would like learn more about the transfer, please click here to see the new transfer section of our website.
HAC Annual General Meeting
November 5th, 2009
We will hold our AGM at the Hearing Aid Council offices on Wed 11 Nov 2009 from 10.30am – 11.00am. This meeting is open to the public. If you wish to attend please contact our office beforehand. To see our contact details please click here.
HAC begins CPD audit
October 16th, 2009
We have begun an audit of dispensers’ compliance with our Continuing Professional Development rules for 2007-9. Included in the audit are a random 2.5 per cent of dispensers and all those who certified that they had not met their requirement by the year end and were given a further 3 months to make up the shortfall.
If you are included in the audit and you require an extension to comply, please write to Chris O’Leary, our Registrar, at . For all other queries, please contact BSHAA, who we have contracted to carry out the audit on our behalf at or by phone on 01371 876623.
Dispensers needed to be HPC Partners
September 23rd, 2009
The Health Professions Council is recruiting dispensers to act as Partners. Partners will sit on Fitness to Practice panels and help assess international applications to the HPC register. To read more, please click here.
Mary Hare & Oxford Brookes foundation degree approved as first students graduate
July 22nd, 2009
To read more please click here. To read more about our approved degree programme please click here.
HAC publishes 2008-9 complaints review
July 22nd, 2009
The HAC publishes a complaints review every year to explain the allegations made against registered dispensers and employers. The review helps raise awareness of good care amongst consumers and registrants. To read the 2008-9 review please click here. To read older complaints reviews, please click here.
List of registrants removed from the register during 2008-9
July 13th, 2009
To read a list of all those removed from the registers of dispensers and employers since 1 April 2008 and why they were removed, please click here.
Commonly asked questions about the proposed legislation to transfer responsibility for registering dispensers to the Health Professions Council
June 17th, 2009
The Department of Health is running a consultation on legislation that will abolish the Hearing Aid Council and transfer the responsibility for regulating hearing aid dispensers to the Health Professions Council. We have been asked many questions about the legislation, so felt it would helpful to publish a collection of our responses. To read the questions and our answers, please click here.
If you have any further comments please get in touch. The Department of Health’s consultation closes on July 7th. To read the consultation, please click here.
David Pyle appointed to Hearing Aid Council
May 12th, 2009
The Secretary of State has appointed David Pyle as a Member of the Hearing Aid Council. David will serve as a consumer representative, replacing Prof. Norma Brooke CBE who passed away last year. You can read the press release here.
HAC appoints new legal advisors
April 29th, 2009
We are pleased to announce that we have appointed Jonathan Bracken as our new legal director plus Kingsley Napley as our new Disciplinary Committee solicitors and case handlers. The decision followed a value for money review of the Council’s legal framework and will be met within existing budgets. To read more in our press release, please click here.
DH opens consultation on transfer of HAC register to HPC
April 15th, 2009
The Government intends to close the Hearing Aid Council and transfer the responsibility for registering Hearing Aid Dispensers to the Health Professions Council at the end of March 2010. The Department of Health has opened a consultation on the proposed draft legislation. To read more about this and for your chance to comment, please click here to be taken to the Department of Health’s website. The consultation closes July 7th 2009.
Consultation on new CPD rules
April 2nd, 2009
The Council recently consulted on changing its CPD rules. Following the consultation the Council decided to make the proposed changes. To read a summary of the responses, please click here. To read more about the new CPD rules, please click here.
Registration 2009 – 2010 Please help us to process your registration quickly
March 24th, 2009
The small HAC administrative team receives a huge amount of mail at this time of year and want to process your retention forms as quickly as possible, but in order to do so we need your help.
Please do not telephone the office unless it is a matter of urgency. It would be helpful if you could email us with any queries and we will respond as quickly as possible. The HAC’s email address is
If you have not received your forms please do contact the office as soon as possible so a replacement can be sent out.
If you have not received your card by the 30th April, please contact the office.
Please note the CPD period you need to declare for is April 2007 to March 2009. If you have not been on the register for these two years you will not be required to meet the minimum points, please write down whatever points you have achieved on the form and next to it write the date you first came on to the register.
Further information on CPD can be found on our website here or on the BSHAA website www.bshaa.com.
If you wish to remove your name from the register you will need to complete a statutory declaration form and return it to the office, a copy of the form can be downloaded by clicking here.
RETENTION FEES DUE
February 27th, 2009
We are currently preparing to send out letters to all individuals and employers on the HAC register requesting the retention fee for the year 1st April 2009 to 31st March 2010.
You can view the documentation being sent out to you:
Chairman’s Letter
Registrar Letter
Individual Renewal Letter
Retention on Register – Individual RHADs Form
Employer Retention Letter
Retention on Register of Employers Form
Memo to all Training Companies
The HAC administrative team would like to ensure the process runs as smoothly as possible for the benefit of all registrants. Therefore we ask the following:
- Please read the documentation carefully
- Ensure you return all the required documentation – last year we returned 5% of documents, significantly adding to the administrative costs to the HAC
- Please do not telephone the HAC unless absolutely necessary as this will take staff away from processing your registration
- Please keep an eye on the website for any updates and progress reports
Thank you very much for your cooperation with this.
Exam Results for the 2008 (2) Re-sit Examination
February 6th, 2009
Click here to download the results from the 2008(2) Re-sit Examination.
Judicial review finds in favour of Hearing Aid Council
January 29th, 2009
The High Court has dismissed an application by Hidden Hearing Ltd to require the HAC to withdraw guidance issued in February 2008. To read our press release, please click here. To read the judgment, please click here and here.
Council sets 2009-10 retention fee
January 29th, 2009
The Council yesterday set its retention fee for 2009-10. The fee was set at £695. The Council will write to all registrants shortly with a breakdown of how the fee will be spent. The fee should paid by 1 April 2009.
Council Member Prof. Norma Brook CBE passes away
January 7th, 2009
Norma Brook sadly passed away on New Year’s Eve. Norma will be greatly missed by all at the HAC. The HAC has published a press release which you can read here.
Chairman Chris Hughes awarded OBE
January 7th, 2009
HAC Chairman has been recognised for public service in the New Year’s Honours list. To read more please click here.
HPC recruiting RHAD partners
December 9th, 2008
Ahead of the transfer of our register to the Health Professions Council (HPC), the HPC is recruiting RHADs to act as partners in the assessment of international applications, approved education programmes and fitness to practice cases. To read more please click here.
Chairman’s December letter to all registrants
December 5th, 2008
To read Chris Hughes’ December letter to all registrants, please click here.
Consultation opens on introducing HPC compliant CPD standards from 1st April 2009
November 28th, 2008
The HAC is consulting on whether it should replace its current CPD rules with standards that mirror those used by the Health Professions Council. To read this consultation and respond please click here. Our Chairman’s December letter to registrants gives some background information on the consultation and is available here.
Chairman’s October letter to all registrants
November 24th, 2008
Our Chairman, Chris Hughes, recently wrote to all registrants. You can read the letter here and accompanying consumer protection information from BSHAA here:
BSHAA Customer Care Roadshow
Booking Form
OSPE Exam Results 2008(2)
November 21st, 2008
The results for the 2008(2) OSPE examinations can be downloaded here.
2008 (2) Theory Exam Results
October 24th, 2008
The 2008 (2) theory exam results are available for download here.
Annual complaints review published
September 23rd, 2008
To inform consumers and help dispensers, employers and trainers improve practice we publish a review of the complaints we received about our registrants each year. To read the 2007-8 review please click here.
Annual report published
September 21st, 2008
You can read our Annual Report for 2007-8 here.
Chairman’s letter sent to all registrants
August 18th, 2008
Our Chairman, Chris Hughes, wrote to all registrants to update them on our transfer to the Health Professions Council, our ongoing consultations and more. Enclosed with the letter was an invitation from BSHAA to participate in their complaints resolution scheme, which the HAC supports. To read Chris Hughes’ letter please click here and to read the BSHAA invitation please click here. The BSHAA document is in two parts, one aimed at sole traders and the other at employers with more than one dispenser.