A review chaired by independent expert, Dr Camilla Kingdon will
consider the response of NHS England to the service failures in
children's hearing services (paediatric audiology).
In December 2021, a report was published about service issues in
children's hearing services in NHS Lothian. The report focused on
whether children's hearing tests were being conducted properly
and effectively followed up.
Further issues with the diagnosis of hearing issues in newborns
and children were identified in other Scottish NHS trusts in
2023. Subsequent assessment of NHS audiology services in
paediatric departments across England in 2023 and 2024 identified
similar problems. NHS England established the Paediatric Hearing
Services Improvement Programme in 2023 to address the issues and
oversee remedial action.
The time period covered by this review, therefore, will be from
December 2021 to March 2025 inclusive.
The review will make recommendations for action and identify
lessons learned that are relevant to other health services.
Scope
The review will consider the response of the Department of Health
and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS
England to the service failures in children's hearing services
by:
- assessing the timeliness, robustness and transparency
of DHSC and NHS
England's response, including how the issues were identified,
escalated, addressed and communicated to the public
- conducting an assessment of the impact on the children
affected, including hearing from affected families and those who
have been involved in their treatment and support
- evaluating, at a high level, NHS England's Paediatric Hearing
Services Improvement Programme, the plan for reviewing individual
services and cases, and the actions being taken to ensure
services meet the required clinical standards, including work
with integrated care boards (ICBs)
- providing recommendations to improve the ongoing response
The review will consider how the relevant governance arrangements
between NHS England and DHSC could be
improved and identify lessons learned by:
- assessing the robustness of NHS England's identification and
oversight processes in this case, including communication and
collaboration with DHSC, especially
regarding early intervention, transparency and governance
- providing recommendations to improve the handling of any
future service issues and incidents
The review will consider how NHS England's handling of any future
service failures in similar services could be improved and
identify lessons learned by:
- considering how NHS England's responsiveness to concerns
raised by patients, families and clinical professionals in
children's health services can be improved,
and DHSC's
role in this process
- identifying a non-exhaustive list of factors that could make
other health services prone to similar issues in future
- providing recommendations to strengthen NHS England's
response to future service failures
Not in scope
Due to the short timeline for this review, it is not expected to:
- conduct an assessment of the current performance of any
individual services or consider in which services any future
service issues may arise
- make specific recommendations related to NHS England's
quality assurance processes or regulation for children's hearing
services or any other services
Main deliverables
The main deliverable will be a written report setting out the
findings and recommendations of the independent review.
Timeline
This review will be conducted swiftly, with an initial report to
be delivered within 3 months of the launch date of the review,
ensuring lessons learned can be acted upon promptly.
Governance
The review will be chaired by an independent expert, Dr Camilla
Kingdon, reporting directly to the Secretary of State for Health
and Social Care.
