An estimated 12 million people in the UK are affected by hearing loss, including around 45,000 children (Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), 2023). That is more than one in six of the population and the number is expected to increase to more than 14.5 million by 2031 (Karas and Laud, 2014).

About 365,000 people have some level of combined hearing and sight loss – often described as deafblind or having dual sensory loss – and the majority of these are aged 70 years or older.