Significant Failures In Hearing Services For Children At NHS Lothian

It has recently been reported that the Paediatric Audiology Service at NHS Lothian has issued apologies to more than 155 families following an independent investigation in diagnosing and treating hearing loss in children.

BAA report into children’s hearing services at NHS Lothian

The investigation was conducted by the British Academy of Audiology (BAA) whose report, published in December 2021, found “significant failures” spanning across the service over nine years.

The average age of diagnosis across England was 109 days, whilst at NHS Lothian, the report revealed that the average age was 4.5 years old during this period of time. The report also states that staff members at the Trust were deviating from professional standards and that the lack of data collected by the Trust meant they could not be compared to other parts of the country.

The BAA’s report stated that it found “no evidence” that national guidelines and protocols on hearing tests for children had been followed or consistently applied “at any point since 2009” and that staff at the Trust were deviating from professional standards. Additionally, the Trust was not carrying out enough checks or collecting sufficient data to adequately monitor how the service compared to other parts of the UK.

The delay in diagnosis has meant children were too late for vital implant surgery and the health board has “apologised sincerely” to those affected. Over 1,000 patient records were assessed as part of the independent investigation with 14% of cases being highlighted as a result of failures.

As a result of the report, over a dozen families are now suing the Trust for compensation.

Tracey Gillies, NHS Lothian Medical Director, commented on the report:

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said:

Adding that improving data collection processes would be a key area for improvement.