UK private hearing care chain Boots boosts business aims with go-ahead to train Hearing Aid Dispensers in-house

With authoristation granted this autumn by the Hearing Care and Professions Council (HCPC), Boots can now run what will be a 2,400-hour course lasting one year, with time spent at the company's central training academy, attending online lectures, e-learning, and in-clinic training.

The go-ahead means Boots can run as an academic provider outside of the constraints of the educational calendar. The company has previously run the programme in partnership with Aston University. Students gaining the QHAD title will be professionals permitted to diagnose a hearing-related issue, refer patients for a medical opinion, and prescribe hearing aids.

A critical programme for Boots' business aims

Karen Shepherd, Director of Professional Standards at Boots Hearingcare and—alongside Emma Wilson, Head of Audiology—one of the shapers of the programme, said: “We've trained hearing aid dispensers in the past in partnership with other organisations so we have that experience. Rather than having a full BSc degree in audiology, this role can be qualified by doing a two-year foundation degree programme via a Higher Education Institution."

The authority to provide the course is a major boost to Boots' business strategy, said Shepherd, "because we will have the flexibility to run cohorts of students to match the business requirements and optimise the way we work during a business year. The positive of the programme is two-fold. Firstly, the students are getting real-life experiences but as a business, we're also benefiting from having additional capacity as they progress through the programme," continued Shepherd, a former President and leading member of the British Academy of Audiology.

For more information on Boots QHAD training, click here.

Source: Boots Hearing Care