Paediatric Hearing
Services
Information Folder
Derriford Hospital
Derriford Road
Plymouth
PL6 8DH
Tel: 0845 155 8155
www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk
Your child was seen today in the Audiology Department and the
results have indicated a permanent hearing loss. There are many
reasons why this may have happened and lots of different levels of
hearing loss. It is worth noting that for approximately ⅓ of children
there is no clear diagnoses or reason why this has happened.
The investigation into the cause of the hearing loss will be ongoing
for some time and may include treatment with hearing aids. Please
refer to the conclusions in the report you were given today for your
own child’s management plan and if you have any questions at any
time, please get in touch.
This folder will introduce the people and services who will be
working with you and your child in the coming months. It can also
be used to keep all the letters, reports and information you are
given about your child’s hearing loss to build up a detailed record of
their care.
It would be very helpful to bring this
folder with you to all of your child’s
appointments
Audiology
The Audiology Department sees patients of all ages who have hearing and
balance disorders. The Department carries out a variety of different tests,
depending on the age and ability of the patient and whether they have any
specialist hearing problems, including hearing loss and tinnitus. Once the
tests are completed the team can make recommendations and provide
appropriate treatment.
The Audiology service is based at two sites:
Audiology Department
Level 7 Outpatients
Derriford Hospital
Derriford Road
Plymouth
PL6 8DH
Telephone 01752 431251
Email: plh-tr.PlymouthPaediatricAudiology@nhs.net
Audiology Department
Child Development Centre
Scott Business Park
Beacon Park Road
Plymouth
PL2 2PQ
The Audiology team sees children from birth to adulthood living in Plymouth,
West Devon and East Cornwall for detailed hearing assessments, advice and
appropriate management of permanent hearing loss. This will include fitting
hearing aids and other appropriate listening devices, together with specialist
advice and information.
We often work closely with colleagues in education as well as medical
colleagues in Children’s Community Health Services (consultant
paediatricians) and the Ear Nose and Throat Department (consultant ENT).
Members of the Audiology Team
Adam Beckman
Head of Audiology Services
Email: adam.beckman@nhs.net
Hilary Winsor
Lead Diagnostic Audiologist
Email: hilarywinsor@nhs.net
Stuart Harris
Lead Paediatric Audiologist
Email: stuart.harris1980@nhs.net
Rowena Freeland
Senior Paediatric Clinical Scientist
Email: rowenafreeland@nhs.net
Sarah Worrell
Senior Paediatric Clinical Scientist
Email: sarah.worrell@nhs.net
Katy Cartwright
Senior Paediatric Audiologist
Email: katie.cartwright@nhs.net
Sara Bilas
Paediatric Audiologist
E mail: sara.bilas@nhs.net
Linda Hornsby
Paediatric Associate Practitioner
E mail: linda.hornsby@nhs.net
Advisory Teams for Sensory Support
The Advisory Teams for Sensory Support provide support for children and
young adults and their families. This support is offered from birth through to
the child leaving school.
The support is given by Qualified Teachers of the Deaf (QTOD). All teachers
are experienced mainstream teachers with additional specialist qualifications.
Access and Inclusion Workers and Support staff complement the work of the
teachers.
Plymouth Advisory Team for Sensory Support (PATSS)
Douglass House, Douglass Road, Plymouth PL3 6NP
Tel: 01752 308738
Email: patss@plymouth.gov.uk
www.plymouth.gov.uk
Cornwall Hearing Support Team
The Educational Audiology Centre, Priory Road, St. Austell PL25 5AB
Tel: 01726 61004
East Devon – Babcock LDP
Great Moor House, Bittern Road, Sowton, Exeter EX2 7NL
Tel: 01392 384819
Email: Christopher.Grimes@babcockinternational.com
www.babcock-education.co.uk
North Devon – Babcock LDP
The Civic Centre, North Walk, Barnstaple EX31 1EG
Tel: 01271 388700
Email: Charlotte.Lynch@babcockinternational.com
www.babcock-education.co.uk
South Devon – Babcock LDP
Windmill House, Ashburton Road, Totnes TQ9 5JT
Tel: 01392 386880
Email: Sue.Carter@babcockinternational.comm
www.babcock-education.co.uk
Ear Nose and Throat (ENT)
The Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Outpatient Department is located on level 7
of Derriford Hospital.
In addition to providing a general ENT service the Department has a variety
of special skills. The Department works closely with Audiology, Speech and
Language Therapists and Hearing Therapists in order to offer the best
possible service to its patients.
Your child may see an ENT consultant to review test results or for an opinion
on ear surgery.
Mr Medcalf
Consultant Otolaryngologist
Email: mmedcalf@nhs.net
Child Development Centre (CDC)
Plymouth Child Development Centre is a multidisciplinary Specialist Child
Development Centre which provides both initial outpatient assessment and
continuing treatment and support for children. The centre offers help to
children with developmental disorders that may result in physical, sensory,
communication, emotional or learning difficulties.
Your child’s medical management will be coordinated by a consultant
paediatrician.
Dr Vinthagen
Consultant Paediatrician
Email: dag.vinthagen@nhs.net
Dr Marsh
Consultant Paediatrician
Email: benmarsh@nhs.net
Child Development Centre
Scott Business Park
Beacon Park Road
Plymouth PL2 2PQ
Tel: 0845 155 8174
West of England Cochlear Implant Programme
The West of England Cochlear Implant Programme (WECIP) provides
cochlear implants for adults and children throughout the South-West. It was
established as the Regional Centre in 1995 and now carries out around 100
operations a year.
Cochlear implants are electronic devices that can help profoundly and
severely deaf people to hear. There are different sorts of cochlear implant,
but they all have internal parts, implanted surgically, and external parts, worn
on the ear. Although they do not restore normal hearing they can provide an
awareness and understanding of sound.
The multi-disciplinary WECIP team includes ENT Consultant Surgeons,
Audiological Scientists, Teachers of the Deaf, Speech and Language
Therapists, Clinical Psychologists and a Paediatrician. Careful assessments
are carried out to check whether a child referred to the team might benefit
from an implant and information is shared to help families decide whether
they want to go ahead.
If the decision is taken to proceed, there’s an operation to implant a receiver
and electrode array, followed a month later by fitting the external parts, the
sound processor and transmitter. The external parts look rather like an
ordinary hearing aid. After that there is careful follow-up, where families, local
professionals and the WECIP team work closely together to help the child
make best use of the implant and if possible learn to listen and talk. Teachers
and therapists on the team carry out home and school visits, and families
attend audiology clinics in Bristol, Taunton and Exeter.
Early referral, assessment and implantation make a significant difference to
how well children do with their implants. Research worldwide shows that a
delay in implantation and a long period of deafness result in a poorer overall
outcome. The WECIP team aims to offer implants to babies around their 1st
birthday, or as soon as possible after loss of hearing.
For more information, please see the WECIP website or contact the
programme directly:
Jenny Maddocks, Paediatric Co-ordinator,
West of England Cochlear Implant Programme, Children's Hearing Centre,
Level D, St Michael's Hospital, Bristol BS2 8EG
Telephone: 0117 3421607
Email: Jennefer.Maddocks@UHBristol.nhs.uk
Website: www.uhbristol.nhs.uk/wecip
Speech & Language Therapist (SaLT)
The Speech and Language Therapists work with parents, nursery and school
assistants and teachers and other professionals. Therapy may be offered at
a variety of settings.
The Speech and Language therapist will usually aim to see a child from 2-2½
years onwards or earlier if requested by an Advisory Teacher of the Deaf
working with the child. Joint visits may then be arranged.
Families, teachers and the Speech and Language Therapist will work
together and discuss how to help your child develop the best possible
communication skills.
If you have any concerns please talk to your Teacher of the Deaf.
Speech and Language Therapists in your area
Plymouth
Jude Kelly
Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
Estover Health Centre, Leypark Walk,
Estover, Plymouth PL6 8UE
Cornwall
Rachel England
Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
Educational Audiology Centre, Priory Road
St Austell PL21 5AB
Devon
Jo Anning
Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
Newton Abbot Hospital, West Golds Road
Newton Abbot TQ12 2TS
Children’s Disability Team, Plymouth
The Children's Disability Team provide support and services to
disabled children and their families across Plymouth.
Social workers take the lead role in co-ordinating and carrying out
assessments of the needs of disabled children and their families in
accordance with government and local guidance for Children in Need, Looked
After Children and Child Protection, ensuring the most cost-effective and
beneficial support packages are established, delivered and monitored.
The Children’s Disability Team accept referrals by the Advice and
Assessment Service and The Single Point of Contact where the assessed
needs are primarily in relation to permanent and/or significant disability. The
team has close links with colleagues across the service and offer
consultation, advice, information and joint assessment where needed.
Children’s Disability Team
Children’s Integrated Disability Service
Plymouth City Council
Plymouth PL1 2AA
Tel: 01752 307264
Email: spoc@plymouth.gov.uk
National Deaf Children’s Society
The NDCS is the only charity solely dedicated to providing
support, information and advice for deaf children and young people, their
families and professionals working with them.
The Freephone Helpline provides emotional and practical support where a
trained team offers clear, balanced information on many issues relating to
childhood deafness, including schooling and communication options.
Freephone Helpline Number: 0808 800 8880
Available Monday to Thursday 9.30am to 9.30pm and Friday 9am to 5pm
Email: helpline@ndcs.org.uk
Plymouth & District Deaf Children’s Society
The Plymouth and District Deaf Children’s Society is the local branch of the
National Deaf Children’s Society. Our aims are to support families of hearing
impaired children by providing a forum to talk about all the aspects of hearing
loss and to promote social activities for families of hearing impaired children.
We organise various events for all age groups including ski tubing nights,
theatre trips, adventure days and parties, to name but a few.
Yvette Beer, PDCS Chair
Telephone: 01752 770257
Mobile: 07718 826887
Email: volunteerbeer@hotmail.co.uk
Jo Samanovic, PDCS Secretary
Telephone: 01752 209064
Mobile: 07952 327804
Email: s.jo@blueyonder.co.uk
Cornwall Deaf Children’s Society
Contact:
Richard Margetts
41 St Stephens Road, Saltash PL12 4BQ
Telephone: 01752 847044
Email: chairman@cornwalldcs.org.uk
East & Mid-Devon Deaf Children’s Society
Claire Molloy, Chairperson
Telephone: 07761 941769
Email: emddcs@hotmail.co.uk
Michelle Ford, Events Organiser and Fundraiser
Telephone: 07876 372618
Email: fordjma@aol.comm
Lucy Wilson, Events Organiser and Fundraiser
Telephone: 07876 193438
Email: lucy.shaun@talktalk.net
Children’s Hearing Services Working Group
(CHSWG)
Plymouth Children’s Hearing Services Working Group (CHSWG) is a group of
professionals and parents working together to improve services for local deaf
children and their families.
A key role of the Group is to ensure that children’s hearing services remain
high on the agenda of those responsible for planning and delivering services
at a strategic level. It will offer advice, guidance and, where necessary,
pressure, to ensure high quality services are available.
The group meets 3 times a year to discuss services for deaf children. There is
parent representation on the group but we would like to gather the views of
more parents. This is your chance to help develop services.
For further information on how to be involved or to raise any points, please
contact:
Nicola Brown, Chair
Telephone: 07773 988628
Email: nicola.brown35@btinternet.com
Yvette Beer, Chair of Plymouth and District Deaf Children’s Society
Telephone: 07718 826887
Email: volunteerbeer@hotmail.co.uk
Paediatric Audiology Team
01752 431251
This folder has been compiled and issued by the
Paediatric Audiology Service, Level 7, Derriford Hospital,
PLYMOUTH PL6 8DH
Paediatric Audiology Team Telephone number:
01752 431251
(available Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm)
or
Text your contact details to 07749 308364 and somebody
from the team will call you back
(available Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm)
Date issued: July 2013
For review: July 2015
Ref: C-263/Audiology/ER/Paediatric Hearing Services