Question reference: S6W-08565
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 17 May 2022
-
Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 June 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05476 by Humza Yousaf on 25 January 2022, which stated that 92 children had been contacted by NHS Lothian and identified as requiring possible retesting, how many (a) more families have been directly contacted by NHS Lothian and offered a retest by 1 May 2022, (b) children who were contacted by NHS Lothian by 1 May 2022 and offered a retest by NHS Lothian have now had that retest and (c) children who were retested by NHS Lothian by 1 May 2022 were found after retesting to have a hearing impairment.
Answer
Following my response in January I can provide more detail around the issues pertaining to paediatric audiology in NHS Lothian. I am providing one response that covers all three questions.
The British Academy of Audiology (BAA) reports have been widely distributed amongst professionals, including all GP practices in NHS Lothian, ENT surgeons, community child health doctors, and speech and language therapists. NHS Lothian has had extensive communication with a range of partners including teaching staff and the Director of Education. As part of this process, those working with children who had any concerns about a child's hearing were encouraged to contact the Audiology department directly or to refer the child through the normal route.
The frequently asked questions, which was developed, has also been shared with specialised teams in education in the four local authority areas across NSH Lothian. My officials are also engaging with local authority heads of service for deaf education and NHS Lothian to address any additional concerns regarding support and education planning for families.
So far, 124 families have been contacted directly by NHS Lothian and offered a retest; 39 children have now had their retest with a further 11 with an appointment to date. From the 39 retested, 10 children have been found to have a new hearing impairment.
Officials continue to work closely with NHS Lothian regarding paediatric audiology, including communications. As highlighted, information has been widely circulated amongst professional staff groups working directly with children and their families, with clear mechanisms for children to be referred to the audiology department where there are concerns about their hearing. Indeed, NHS Lothian established a telephone line in December last year and this continues to be operational to make it easy for families to make direct contact with the Board about any audiology concerns, the board is also working closely with the National Deaf Children Society.