Paediatric Audiology

Paediatric Audiology is a specialist clinical service which aims to identify and manage hearing loss in children. The service provides a comprehensive range of assessments for children of all ages (birth to 18 years)

Conditions

We identify and manage hearing loss, including permanent childhood hearing losses, and temporary hearing loss related to OME. The National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) have lots of information on childhood deafness/hearing losses including causes of hearing loss, testing and information about hearing aids www.ndcs.org.uk/information-and-support/childhood-deafness/

Services provided:

Newborn Hearing Screening offered for all eligible babies across Mid Cheshire
Diagnostic testing for babies referred from the Newborn Hearing Screen
Hearing assessments for all children aged 0 - 18 years upon referral by a health professional
Hearing aid fitting and maintenance for children who have been identified with a hearing impairment
Aetiological investigation into deafness
Referral to other professionals where appropriate (e.g. cochlear implants or surgical intervention)
Sharing of information across services

Paediatric Audiology works within a multi-disciplinary team to ensure the best outcomes are achieved for each child, particularly children with additional needs. The team includes Sensory Support Teachers, Speech and Language Therapists, Hospital and Community Paediatricians, School Nurses, Social Workers, Health Visitors, Midwives and GPs.

How to access the service

Referrals are accepted from any health professional who reports concerns about a child’s hearing or development. Our contact number is 01270 826256. Our email address is Paediatric.audiology@mcht.nhs.uk

How to find us

We currently run clinics at three sites across Mid Cheshire:

Children’s Outpatient’s Department, Leighton Hospital, Crewe
Eagle Bridge Health & Wellbeing Centre, Crewe
Winsford Health Centre, Dene Drive, Winsford

Hearing assessment clinics take place at all sites. Babies who are referred from the Newborn Hearing Screen are seen in the Children’s Outpatients Department at Leighton Hospital.

Click here to access a map of the Trust.

Dene Drive Medical Centre, Dene Drive, Winsford, CW7 1AT

Eagle Bridge Health Centre, Dunwoody Way, Crewe, CW1 3AW

Eagle Bridge Health & Wellbeing Centre, Crewe

The Eagle Bridge Audiology clinic room is on the ground floor and accessible to wheelchairs and prams. When arriving at Eagle Bridge, please book into reception on the ground floor and head to our waiting area. We have a quiet waiting area with chairs directly outside the clinic room. We have free parking at the front and back of the building with accessible parking bays.

Krishnan Chandran Children’s Centre, Leighton Hospital

The Audiology room is on the ground floor and accessible to wheelchairs and prams. When arriving, please book into reception and take a seat in the waiting area. The waiting area for this location is shared with other departments. There are chairs and toys available in this waiting area. There is accessible parking bays directly outside the Krishnan Chandran Children’s Centre and other parking available. Please see the Leighton Hospital map that is linked on this page for more information on parking. Parking charges apply at this location. For information on car parking charges and locations of pay stations, please visit the “car parking” section of the Trust’s website.

Dene Drive Medical Centre, Winsford

The Audiology room is on the ground floor and is accessible for wheelchairs and prams. When arriving at Dene Drive Medical Centre, please book into reception on the ground floor and take a seat in the waiting area. The waiting area for this location is shared with other departments. We have free parking at the front of the building with accessible parking bays.

If you require an interpreter for the appointment, please ensure the person referring the child into our service documents this clearly on the referral with what language is required. If the child has already been referred into our service and this has not been documented on the referral, please contact Paediatric Audiology either via post, email or telephone which is listed at the top right hand of this page to let us know an interpreter is required.

For information on transport to our 3 locations, please visit this link to see what transport is available or call 0817 200 22 33

The West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust provides non-emergency patient ambulance transport to Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust patients. If you require transport assistance, please call 0345 425 0050 to ascertain if you are eligible and would like to make a booking.

For any other transport queries, please contact the Sustainability and Social Value Lead at Leighton Hospital. 01270 273374 / james.wittall@mcht.nhs.uk – Patient transport advice can also be provided by contacting the ambulance office at Leighton Hospital on 01270 612381

All time estimates below are guides to appointment times. Appointments do have the potential to be shorter or longer than the guide times.

Initial diagnostic assessment – 30 minutes

Routine diagnostic assessment – 30 minutes

Specialist assessments – 45 minutes

Hearing aid fitting – 1 hour – 1 hours & 30 minutes

Hearing aid review – 1 hour – 1 hours & 30 minutes

Auditory Brainstem Response Test – 1 hour & 30 minutes

Melatonin Auditory Brainstem Response Test – 3 hours

Initial Tinnitus Assessment – 1 hour

Tinnitus follow-up – 1 hour

Telephone follow-up – 30 minutes

Aetiology assessment – 1 hour & 30 minutes