NDCS Listen Up Report for 2024 - British Academy of Audiology |British Academy of Audiology

In late 2023, NDCS made Freedom of Information requests to all Trusts and Health Boards across the UK, who they knew provide paediatric audiology services at the time. This was the first time NDCS had extended the survey to the devolved nations, with less detailed shorter surveys sent to Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

They have now analysed and written up the findings. The report has been published on the NDCS website https://www.ndcs.org.uk/information-and-support/professionals/research-and-data/paediatric-audiology/listen-up-2024/ and is directly sent to Heads of Audiology Services, CEOs of Trusts and Health Boards, and various NHS leads. The report has not been shared more widely.

Findings:

The report is based on self-reported survey data from services, and they have taken a cautious approach to analysis. It is not an academic research report. There may be areas within the survey where there are now more recent or more accurate data, or where that data is publicly available from other sources (e.g. number of IQIPS accredited services). However, they have chosen to report what was shared, and believe it is important that they feedback what was found to those who completed the survey.

In terms of some general findings, many echo what has been reported across the UK by various reviews:

There are significant variations in caseloads, presenting a potential clinical risk for services with very small caseloads.
There are regional variations in service provision, particularly in the assessment of children with complex needs and in the management of temporary deafness.
Accessibility for deaf people is poor, with relatively few services offering British Sign Language (BSL) as an option for contacting the service, and not enough audiology services reporting regular deaf awareness training for staff.
Long waiting times for routine first assessments present a significant risk of delayed identification of deafness in children who are not identified at the time of the newborn screening.
Long waiting times for hearing aid reviews are likely to have a significant impact on the quality of care for deaf children.
Significant waiting times for Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) services are likely to have a significant impact on the quality of care for children with temporary and mixed deafness.
Quality assurance is not well embedded in most audiology services. For example, only 23% of services in England self-reported having Improving Quality in Physiological Services (IQIPS) accreditation, and there are variable approaches to quality assurance across the UK. It is acknowledged that Wales has its own quality assurance programme.
Service capacity challenges due to staff vacancies and increasing demand may affect the quality of services.
Services report a reduction in staff skill level, with no consistent minimum qualification and training routes between services.
Several services shared examples of good practice or innovation in the areas of being family friendly, using technology and initiatives to improve pathways, increase capacity and tackle waiting times, which we were delighted to learn about.

NDCS hope this report is helpful to those providing audiology services to make the case for improvement and celebrate where their own good practice is. This offers a chance to raise the profile of audiology services, which are often overlooked with Trusts and Health Boards, and to showcase what audiologists do and help make the case for where improvements need to be resourced.

For any enquiries regarding the reports, please contact NDCS at: professionals@ndcs.org.uk