HUNDREDS of people with hearing difficulties are being denied free hearing aids because hospital bosses in Southampton cannot afford to buy them.

Hearing aids are being rationed to "urgent" patients only, while others are being dumped on a two-year waiting list as health chiefs address a spiralling cash crisis.

Campaigners have condemned the situation, warning that the funding problems will lead to social isolation for many of the region's most vulnerable people.

Clive White, a spokesman for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Association for Deaf People (HAIWD), said: "Deafness has long been the hidden disability which continually fails to find funding and we're disappointed to see an example of that.

"We're bound to see an increase in the number of people becoming isolated and socially excluded."

Andy Phillips, head of the audiology and hearing therapy department at the RSH, said the cash constraints were adding to waiting times which currently stand at between one and two years.

He said: "The situation is getting worse. There are currently around 1,200 people waiting for hearing tests but we estimate that figure will rise to 2,000 by March next year.

"There isn't much point in seeing someone for a hearing test if we can't provide them with a hearing aid."

The service has to spend most of its budget replacing or updating their hearing aids and can only afford to take on a limited number of new patients each year.

Mr Phillips added that the Southampton University Hospitals Trust, which runs the audiology department, was enterinh negotiations with local GPs and other purchasers to encourage more cash to be ploughed into the service.

A spokesman for patients' watchdog the community health council said: "We accept what the trust has to say about problems nationally and talks being held on a national basis. But we are concerned that Southampton University Hospitals Trust does seem to be facing a number of financial pressures which are directly affecting patient care, at a time when we're going through a fairly stringent cost-improvement programme."

The Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust apologised for the situation "not of our choice or making".

, of which it said: "We know this is unsatisfactory and are currently gathering evidence to present to the organisations which fund this work in the hope that we can jointly fund a solution."

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