The eagerly-anticipated update to the British Academy of Audiology (BAA) Scope of Practice for Audiology Professionals is now available to download.
The BAA Scope of Practice was developed by the BAA Education portfolio, comprising professionals from various sectors and specialisms. It will be reviewed every three years and revised as needed to reflect developments in audiology.
It defines the clinical and professional capabilities of an audiology professional, expectations of audiologists in practice, and links career levels to capabilities. Please note that it does not serve as a guide to Agenda for Change (AfC) bandings or job planning.
Audiology professionals are expected to be aware of their scope of practice and operate within the limits of this, identifying training and development needs to ensure they remain within this scope of practice or extend it appropriately.
We note also that although registration as an audiologist with the Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS) remains voluntary, it is the British Academy of Audiology’s position that audiologists shall maintain registration to demonstrate a commitment towards professional standards and continuing professional development. This allows parity with those registered as either Clinical Scientists or Hearing Aid Dispensers with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Following on from this work, BAA will be developing a guide to how the Scope of Practice can be applied specifically to the NHS, including relating the career levels to AfC bandings, effective job planning for colleagues and indicative appointment timings to support with workforce planning.
Hearing Therapists (HT), and Hearing Therapy graduates should assume this document also relates to their scope of practice. For the purposes of this document a HT is defined as an audiology professional.