Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many army personnel have been medically downgraded as a result of hearing loss in each year for the last 10 years.
Answered on
10 December 2021
The below table presents the number of UK Army personnel who were medically downgraded with an ICD-10 code for Hearing Loss cited as the principal or contributory cause from 1 April 2015 to 1 April 2021. Both principal and contributory causes have been included as it is possible for personnel to be medically downgraded for multiple medical reasons.
The information provided is for Army personnel who have had restrictions (both short term or longer term) as a result of hearing loss which will require a limitation in their military duties. It is a snapshot in time of each year therefore someone who is downgraded at one timepoint can also be included in the count at a later timepoint. The personnel represented in this response may have since had their limitations lifted and returned to their previous levels of medical fitness. Reasons for medical downgrading are only presented from 2015 due to data availability.
Table 1: UK Army1 personnel medically downgraded with Hearing Loss cited as the principal or contributory cause, by year2, from 1 April 2015 to 1 April 2021
Date | Number |
1 Apr 15 | 767 |
1 Apr 16 | 896 |
1 Apr 17 | 917 |
1 Apr 18 | 1,152 |
1 Apr 19 | 998 |
1 Apr 20 | 1,001 |
1 Apr 21 | 1,068 |
1 Figures includes full time trade trained and serving against requirement.
2 Numbers downgraded for hearing loss as at 1 April in each year.