Childrens Hearing Service
The Paediatric Audiology Service specialises in the assessment and management of children’s hearing.
An appointment letter is enclosed outlining the time, date and venue of your appointment.
If you require an interpreter then please contact the department and we can arrange this for you. Please confirm your appointment as soon as possible.
- About the team
- Who will you see?
You will see one or two members of a team of paediatric audiovestibular physicians and paediatric audiologists who are specially trained to test children’s hearing.
The hospital is a teaching hospital and on occasions a trainee may also be present in a clinic. If you would prefer not to have a trainee in your child’s appointment do let us know. - What will we do?
History - we will ask you some questions about your child’s hearing, medical history and any family history of hearing problems.
Hearing Test - Depending on your child’s age we will test their hearing by getting them to respond to sound in some way. This often includes some form of play. It is therefore important your child is awake. The hearing test needs to be carried out in a quiet room, so if possible it is best to try to attend with only the child being tested. It is not possible to leave children unsupervised in the waiting area, but they are welcome to wait there if they are accompanied by an adult.
We will also look in your child’s ears and we may do some further tests if required.
Most children enjoy their visit with us. - Results
The results will be explained by the audiologist / consultant. All relevant professionals involved in your child’s care will be informed of the findings.
- How long will it take?
Usually about 30 minutes to an hour, though aided children can take up to 1+1/2 hours.
We aim to see you on time but occasionally clinics can be delayed. Please allow for this.
To help keep our clinics running to time we may not be able to see you if you arrive more than 20 minutes late. - What happens if a hearing loss is detected?
Most children are found to have normal hearing or a temporary hearing loss associated with colds and middle ear congestion.
For the small number of children who are found to have a permanent hearing loss we provide a highly specialised hearing aid service with ongoing assessments and support. - What to do if you can’t attend the appointment
Please contact us as soon as possible if you cannot attend so that we can offer the appointment to another child. If your child has a slight cold on the day of the appointment but is generally well in themselves then it is fine to attend.
- Facilities available
Baby change facilities are available at all clinic locations.
- Views on our Service
If you are satisfied we are providing a good service please tell us. If you are dissatisfied or feel we could improve the service we would value your comments.
Patient feedback forms are available in reception, or if you prefer you can contact our chief paediatric audiologist Michelle Simey on: 01772 401310
or PALS (the Patient Advice and Liaison Service) on: 01772 522972,
Email: PALS@lthtr.nhs.uk - Relevant Leaflets/Documents/Links
Battery Recall
We have been informed of performance problems with Zenipower (MF) Mercury Free batteries that have been issued by our Department within the last 6 months. This is specifically with batteries that have a ‘Best Before’ date of 08/2018 and 09/2018. Any other trade name or ‘best before’ date will be okay to use.
We have not experienced any serious issues to date and the risk to your child is very small but please can you check the batteries your child is using and return any of the above to us in exchange for a new supply.
Click here for more information.
If you have any queries please contact:
Michelle Simey
Chief Paediatric Audiologist
01772 401310
