If you have any questions that are not answered below, please feel free to contact our admin service at kentchft.childhearing@nhs.net or on 0300 123 2670. Please note our admin team is reduced in number due to social distancing measures and so it may take longer to respond to your enquiry. At the moment, email is the efficient way to contact us.
Once we have received your referral, it will be triaged to the most appropriate clinic and an appointment letter sent in the post for further follow-up, within four weeks of referral (from 40 weeks gestational age). Please note that times may vary from this if your child was born before 40 weeks old.
We are currently trying to work through our waiting lists and review timeframes are longer than we would like. Please be patient with us and rest assured that we are constantly taking measures to reduce wait times for our patients. If you are concerned that your child’s appointment is overdue and their hearing has dramatically changed, please email or call us.
All referrals are triaged by our audiologists and referrals are seen within six weeks of us receiving the request. Please be aware that if you do not attend or cancel the appointment, your child may be discharged from our service or forwarded for further case discussion.
Please contact your GP or NHS 111, as you would normally do who can then offer further advice as necessary.
Ear infections are common in children and can be treated by your GP. Please refer to the NHS website for further information, including a list of symptoms.
If you feel your child has a very sudden, severe-profound hearing loss, then you need to consult a doctor, either your GP or via A&E as soon as possible. A sudden hearing loss is defined as a loss of hearing in less than 72 hours.
- Contact our admin team and request some tubing/batteries are sent to your home address. Please make sure you include the type of tubing and/or colour of batteries your child is using. Please check we have the correct contact details for these to be sent to.
- Please remember to change your child’s hearing aid batteries on a regular basis. If they are too young to tell you when the battery has run low, it is advised you change them on the same day each week. Always keep batteries out of reach and sight of children.
If your child’s ear mould is loose due to them growing or they have lost the ear mould completely, please contact us to let us know.
- Try using some lubricant (plain Vaseline can be used if this is suitable for your child’s skin) on the mould to help seal the mould to the canal. This can help reduce feedback (the whistle sound).
- Check the tubing is clear of wax or condensation.
- Check the length of tubing is correct. If you child has grown this may now be tight and pulling on the top of the ear.
- Change the tubing if required (see troubleshooting my hearing aid).
- Encourage your child to routinely blow their nose and make it part of their regular day.
- Supervised steam inhalation.
- Using straws when drinking.
- Blowing bubbles.
- Avoid passive smoking, ideally keeping smoking to outside environments to avoid third hand smoke on furniture and other household items.
- Obtain your child’s attention prior to giving verbal instructions.
- Keep background noise to a minimum.
- Speak clearly and naturally, and make sure your face is in the light.
- Make sure you are facing your child when you are speaking.
Resources:
- No sound from hearing aid/sound distorted:
- Double check the battery is correct way round and the battery door is closed. If you have a rechargeable hearing aid, put it on charge for around 10 minutes and try again.
- Feedback/whistling:
- Reposition and ensure the earmould is a snug fit.
- Abnormal or distorted sounds:
- If you have a drying tub, place the hearing aid in there for a few hours to remove any condensation that could be interfering with amplification.
Contact our admin team as soon as possible. It may take some time to organise new hearing aids to be programmed and transported to a site that you can collect them from. Unfortunately, we are unable to send hearing aids out in the post. Please also clarify which part of the hearing aid is missing; the behind the ear part and/or the mould that goes in the ear.
Resources: