Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will issue national guidance on the use of Auditory Verbal therapy for deaf babies and children; and if he will increase funding to promote greater access to Auditory Verbal therapy in (a) Derby South constituency and (b) the rest of England.

The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. This includes all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including non-hearing children. Auditory verbal therapy is one of a range of approaches that can be used with deaf babies and children.

Each integrated care board (ICB) commissions the services they need for their local area, with NHS England supporting them to make informed decisions about the provision of audiology services so they can provide consistent, high-quality, and integrated care to non-hearing children. In July 2016, NHS England published Commissioning Services for People with Hearing Loss: A framework, for clinical commissioning groups. The framework supports National Health Service ICBs to make informed decisions to address inequalities in access and outcomes between hearing services.

In 2019, with input from the National Deaf Children’s Society, NHS England also produced a guide for commissioners and providers who support children and young people with hearing loss. The guide provides practical advice on ensuring that non-hearing children receive the support they need.