Deaf children in Scotland 'falling through cracks' amid 600-day wait for hearing assessments

Deaf children in Scotland are “falling through the cracks” as many are waiting more than 600 days for hearing assessments.

A number of charities have written to the Scottish Government exactly two years after an independent review found “multiple systemic problems” in Scotland’s audiology services.

Ten-year-old Dawson from Dunbar is one child who was impacted after his hearing was misdiagnosed by NHS Lothian.

His mother Melanie grew concerned about her son’s hearing after he struggled to hear her at home.

She told STV News: “It got so bad, I could see that he wasn’t able to hear the TV, he wasn’t able to hear us when we were speaking to him. He wasn’t able to engage in relationships or communication with his friends.

“I found him becoming more cut off from the world.”

After raising concerns, Dawson, who also has ADHD, was finally diagnosed with glue ear and mild hearing loss but faced a long wait for treatment

Melanie's son Dawson struggled with his hearing — Melanie’s son Dawson struggled with his hearing STV News

Melanie added: “For a child, one year where they are not hearing properly, has a huge impact on their development and how they make and maintain relationships and engage with the world around them.

“We couldn’t wait, so we were told if we wanted not to wait, the only way to do that would be to pay to go private, which could cost us somewhere between £3,000 and £6,000, which we just don’t have.”

It’s been two years since an independent review found serious problems with the way audiology services operate in Scotland and the quality of testing. Charities are warning little progress has been made.

Mona Vaghefian, from the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “We know that children are still waiting too long for crucial hearing appointments, and the concern around that is that some children will miss out on having their deafness identified at the earliest possible stage, where they can get the right support put in place. Whether that be around hearing devices, whether that be surgery, or access to sign language.

“That can have a knock on impact on a child’s future development, their ability to gain language and communication skills, their learning and their social skills as well.”

Scottish health secretary Neil Gray said: “We accepted the 55 recommendations of the report two years ago, we’re working through those with health boards.”

Charities warn children like Dawson continue to be sidelined, the effects of which could last for the rest of their lives.