Paediatric Audiology
The Sunday Times has published another article on the Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement Programme. Prior to the publication, the Health Editor approached the BAA for comment, some of which was used in the article. BAA President Dr Samantha Lear said the following:
“The British Academy of Audiology (BAA) has been very open in our disappointment about issues revealed in some paediatric audiology services. It is absolutely unacceptable that there is such a variation in the quality of services across the UK, leading to inadequate care for some children.
“Whilst disappointed, it was not surprising, as BAA were part of a consortium who raised concerns about paediatric audiology in October 2020, with the publication of a ‘Rapid Review into Paediatric Audiology in England’ with a panel of experts and representative groups from across the profession.
“As a voluntary professional body, we have since worked tirelessly to provide support to our members; producing resources to support service improvement and wellbeing workshops for affected audiologists who are under immense pressure. When invited, we have provided expert advice to the NHS England National Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement Programme. We are disappointed the programme hasn’t worked at a faster pace to support the profession itself.
“There is a serious workforce crisis in Audiology with workforce shortages, lack of government-funded national training opportunities, and lack of recognition of the expertise and leadership required to deliver safe services. These workforce issues must be tackled as a priority if things are to improve.”
You can read The Sunday Times article here
Meanwhile…
NHS England has written to all Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) outlining the national response ICBs are expected to follow as part of the ongoing Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement (PHSI) Programme. The communication states that NHS England regions have made substantial progress and have completed desktop reviews of all 140 paediatric audiology services across England. Of these, 90 services were found to have either low or partial levels of quality assurance and will now require further, in-depth reviews to determine if babies and children need to be recalled for reassessment. Their national ambition is to complete all patient reassessments by March 2025, ensuring that all patients are either discharged or placed on an appropriate treatment pathway by September 2025.