Audiology
North and East Wiltshire
Swindon Paediatric audiology provides a comprehensive, family friendly integrated screening, diagnostic and rehabilitation service. This is a service for all ages.
Our team provide a comprehensive hearing assessment. Including
- Newborn hearing screening for all newborns
- Electro-physiological diagnostic assessment under natural sleep or anaesthetic
- Further management following the hearing screen in reception/year 1 for all children
We provide support and advice for parents and carers.
For some children a hearing impairment may be identified shortly after birth whilst others may develop a hearing impairment later in their development.
Hearing loss, which may be either temporary or permanent can significantly impact on social and educational development. It is therefore important to identify hearing loss and support these young people without delay.
Young people are often referred to Audiology services due to concerns that there are hearing difficulties and/ or communication issues. As an open access service a young person or their parents/ guardians may self refer to Audiology for a general hearing assessment.
For families who do not have English as their first language we can provide an interpreter when required. We currently have leaflets available in a variety of languages to support the newborn hearing screening (NHSP) process and subsequent referral to audiology made at that time.
Families will be fully involved in all decisions and at all stages of the child's management.
The service is open to all babies, children and young people (0-18 years of age) who are referred to us with a suspected hearing loss or communication difficulty.
All babies are offered a hearing screen as part of the Newborn Hearing Screening Program (NHSP) soon after birth.
Every child will be offered a hearing screen at birth and during Year 1 at school.
Our Paediatric Audiology service is provided at hospital sites and community locations to ensure that families are seen closer to home where appropriate. We also offer clinics for hearing assessment at the following centres across the region:
- Great Western Hospital
- NHS: Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust- Paediatric Hearing Service
- Ludgershall Doctors Surgery at The Castle Practice
- Fairford Hospital
Due to the technical nature of some of our work it may sometimes be necessary to see a child or young person at West Swindon Heath Centre, but this will be discussed with you at the initial clinic appointment.
Our Paediatric Community Audiology service offers open referral for any child up to the age of eighteen years. This means anyone can refer a child or young person if there is concern about their hearing or communication difficulties, including:
- Parents and carers
- GPs
- Paediatricians
- Ear, Nose and Throat specialists
- Health visitors
- Speech and language therapists
- Schools or colleges (teachers of the deaf)
- School nurses
- 'Targeted' follow up from NHSP due to a risk factor for hearing loss being present
- Other audiology centres, for when a child has moved into the area.
Babies referred from NHSP for a diagnostic assessment are offered an appointment within 4 weeks of referral.
Babies and children who have been issued with hearing aids are reviewed on a regular basis, to monitor their hearing status. Pre school children are assessed 2-3 times per year, and school children at least annually.
Once a referral is accepted an appointment letter is sent to the parents of the child/young person detailing when and where they will be assessed. An appointment will be offered within 6 weeks of referral.
Paediatric Audiology
West Swindon Health Centre
Link Avenue
Swindon
SN5 7DL
Fax: 01793 877 244
Over 18
As a child who has been issued with hearing aids approaches adult life, there will be transition period where they will be under the care of both the paediatric and adult audiology service. At 17/18 years of age paediatric audiology will support the young people to transition in to adult services. The transition clinic aims to prepare young adults for the Adult Hearing Aid Service and to provide support through the move to further education or employment. Final transfer to the Adult Hearing Aid Service does not take place until the person is ready, usually once they have started full time employment. A specialist clinic is available for adults who require extra support with their hearing and hearing aids.
We provide an open access service, which means anyone can self-refer to our team. If a family is moving into Wiltshire, this means they can contact us themselves, or ask a GP or other health professional to refer them if their child or young person has difficulties. We also accept referrals from other audiology teams, if a family is moving into Wiltshire. If a family we support tells us they are moving out of Wiltshire, we will try to refer them or signpost them to an appropriate service in their new location.
West Wiltshire
Wiltshire Children's Audiology service offers hearing assessment to children and young people up to age 16 living in the area which roughly extends to the towns of Malmesbury, Calne, Devizes, Warminster, Westbury, Bradford-on- Avon, Trowbridge, Corsham, Chippenham and Melksham.
Wiltshire Children's Audiology service offers hearing assessment to children and young people up to age 16. Our team works closely with other audiologists and teaching professionals for children and young people with permanent hearing impairment.
Our team work hard to:
- Provide accurate, timely assessment of hearing levels using techniques appropriate for the age of the child
- Offer advice in managing temporary hearing loss
- Design and deliver interventions for children with permanent hearing impairment
All children registered with a GP in the Wiltshire clinical area are eligible for the service.
Basic assessments take place in community settings. Children under age two and a half and children with permanent hearing impairment require specialist assessments and these are available at a purpose built children's unit at St Martin's Hospital Bath.
Some older children can be seen for routine assessment in health centres and community hospitals across North and West Wiltshire. None of the community facilities are sound proofed and many are not appropriate for specialist hearing assessment. Therefore, specialist assessments and interventions are held at St Martin's hospital in Bath.
Young people with SEND can access the service via a referral from their GP, Health Visitor, or School Nurse.
We do not accept self-referrals.
We see all referrals within 18 weeks and aim to see all children within 13 weeks. The average wait varies with the season of the year but is usually less than 8 weeks.
Over 14
Children with permanent Hearing Impairment prepare for adult services during a two year process beginning aged 14 and agreed through discussions between the young person, family, teacher of the deaf and audiologists.
If families advise they are moving out-county we recommend early registration with new GP and onward referral. We are happy to provide information or records when requested to do so. If arranged in advance we may be able to arrange onward referral too.
Families moving into the county must first register with a local GP. We are sometimes given advanced information about removals in via a health professional originally looking after the child.
South Wiltshire
We provide a paediatric (children's) audiology service to all children from birth, up until they leave full time education.
We cover the area around Salisbury as far as Tidworth and Warminster in the north, Verwood, Ringwood and Fordingbridge in the south, Gillingham and Shaftesbury in the west and West Tytherley and West Wellow area in the east. We overlap with many other services in these outlying areas and if young people receive their care in a specific hospital they will often choose to have their hearing tests and support based in the same place.
We provide a paediatric (children's) audiology service in our catchment area to all children from birth, up until they leave full time education. The audiology team provide detailed hearing assessments, fit hearing aids and provide regular after care appointments.
- To have their hearing needs accurately tested, using a test appropriate to their age and development
- To be fitted with an appropriate hearing device where needed, so they can communicate as effectively as possible
- To have access to good quality, regular follow up care, to ensure their hearing and hearing aid needs continue to be met
- To be assisted in accessing other appropriate forms of support
All children and young people are eligible to be referred to our service for an assessment. To be eligible for on-going support or to be fitted with a hearing device, a child or young person must have a certain degree of hearing impairment, either in one or both ears.
This service is provided by Virgin Care Services Limited.
Direct phone number: 01722 429 335
Usually, children are referred to us via the newborn hearing screening programme (NHSP), if this test suggests they may have permanent hearing loss in one or both ears.
Otherwise, they are referred by their GP, health visitor, Ear Nose and Throat specialist, school hearing screeners or paediatrician.
We do not accept self-referrals, so if concerned, parents should speak to their child's GP.
Over 17
When a young person turns 17, we will arrange their next routine appointment with an audiologist from adult services. Once a young person leaves full-time education we will write to them giving them information on how to access the adult audiology service when they need to. They will automatically be given an initial appointment and the care they will receive will be the same, but the location and specialists they see will change. The adult audiology service will still provide a follow up appointment at least once a year.
If a family are leaving Wiltshire, we would encourage them to register with a new GP as soon as possible and make an appointment to be referred to a new service. We will supply any necessary information or records to the new service. If a family is moving into Wiltshire, they will need to be referred to us by a Wiltshire GP so they will need to register and make an appointment as soon as possible. We will then contact the old service for information on the young person's care.
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