BIHIMA releases Q2 2020 hearing instrument market data

Q2 data shows the full impact of lockdown on both the private and NHS markets

The British and Irish Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (BIHIMA) has released the Q2 2020 results of its members, providing insight into how the UK and Irish hearing care market fared as lockdown continued. Q2 shows the impact of the effects of the lockdown in the private sector and the scaling back of the NHS audiology service during lockdown, with an 85% reduction in sales in the UK in Q2 compared to Q1. Ireland fared slightly better than the UK with a 70% reduction in volumes in Q2 compared to Q1.

Not surprisingly, the UK figures were significantly down on the same period last year with fewer than 60,000 units sold compared to over 400,000 in Q2 2019.

The private (non-NHS) sector has been most severely affected by a reduction in activity due to Covid19, with sales down by 91.8% compared to Q2 2019. The NHS market also showed a significant decrease, of 84.2% compared to the same period last year.

“Our industry has responded admirably to the pandemic, carefully balancing the need for provision with patient safety, but reduction in activity due to lockdown and continued restrictions has had a significant impact on our figures. These are challenging times, but we hope to see an increase into Q3 as services resume, and we look forward to our numbers returning to normal as swiftly as possible,” said the BIHIMA chairman, Paul Surridge.

In its role as the voice for the hearing technology industry, BIHIMA regularly monitors the market and releases the results of its members every quarter.

Download the full market data results here.