S6W-24687

Asked by: Briggs, Miles (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Lothian)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether additional funding will be made available to increase the number of Teachers of the Deaf to meet any increase in the number of referrals.

Answered by Gilruth, Jenny - Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

It is for Education Authorities to determine what teaching and support staff are required to meet the support needs of their pupils, including those affected by deafness. The level of support from a qualified Teacher of the Deaf depends upon the individual needs of each pupil.

Spending on additional support for learning by authorities has reached a record high of £830m in 2021/22. We have continued to invest an additional £15m per year since 2019-20 and provide over £11m of funding to directly support pupils with complex additional support needs and services to children and families.

Found: CPG on Deafness Sensory Care and Dementia Working Group .

Mentions:
1: McCall, Roz (Con - Mid Scotland and Fife) The cross-party group on deafness, of which I am deputy convener, has worked tirelessly towards the adoption - Speech Link

S6W-24682

Asked by: Briggs, Miles (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Lothian)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the reported failures with paediatric audiology services in NHS Lothian, what action was taken for patients identified in the first and second audits as needing further follow up who did not attend or reply to a letter, and, for every child, whether (a) there was direct contact with their (i) family and (ii) named person or health visitor, (b) their GP was informed and (c) any contact was by a means other than a letter.

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

NHS Lothian have advised that they make significant efforts to support attendance at appointments with affected families and follow an enhanced did not attend (DNA) policy whereby if a patient doesn’t attend their first appointment, they are contacted by telephone by an Audiologist to discuss non-attendance. A further appointment is then verbally agreed, and a letter sent to the family confirming the new appointment date. If there is a second instance of failure to attend, a further phone call by an Audiologist is made to agree a new appointment date and to discuss any issues and/or barriers in relation to attending the appointment. However, if there is a third instance of failure to attend then a DNA letter is sent to the family and copied to the GP and/or Health Visitor informing them the patient has been discharged from the service. Even after this letter if sent, if the family feel they still require an appointment, they can contact the service within 4 weeks and will be offered an appointment.

The BAA selected the different cohort of patients and the number of patients to be reviewed in each of the cohort groups, which was based on an increased likelihood of risk of missed hearing loss and cohorts were stratified in this way by the BAA to maximise detection of missed or delayed cases of hearing loss and poor quality testing. NHS Lothian have confirmed that all children who have been identified through the original audit have had their care clinically reviewed and, where appropriate, have been recalled for review to ensure these children are receiving the right support and treatment. NHS Lothian have provided assurances on the process that they have in place to respond to patients who were not part of the original BAA audits but who, on review, have a pattern of care that reflects the issues highlighted by the BAA. Families are being directly contacted and offered a meeting with the Senior Management Team to discuss the findings and to agree an appropriate care plan, with a focus on ensuring the right support is in place. I have sought further assurance from NHS Lothian around those children that are predicted to have been missed, based on the cohorts and percentages reviewed and I will provide an update to the member in due course.

To date, out with the 2 BAA audits, 6 further cases have been identified and in line with previous arrangements, these families have been directly contacted and offered a meeting with the Senior Management Team to discuss the findings and to agree a future care and support plan.

All children and young people should receive the support that they need to reach their full potential. Education authorities are under a statutory duty to identify, provide for, and review the support that they provide for pupils with additional support needs. Decisions on support are a matter for individual education authorities. Education authorities also have duties to employ a teacher of the deaf where support is required for child or young person who is deaf or deafblind. NHS Lothian and Local Authorities work very closely to help ensure those affected receive the multi-agency support they need. In addition, in working closely with their colleagues within Speech and Language Therapy, NHS Lothian have increased the capacity of the specialist team that works with children with a hearing impairment to ensure appropriate support is available to affected children and families.

The Scottish Government commissioned an Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland which was published in August 2023 and in December 2023, announced that it accepted, in principle, all of the recommendations made as part of that review and work on implementation is now underway. Implementation will be undertaken with partners from the third sector, as well as the health service, which will allow us to ensure the voices of those with lived experience, including those affected within NHS Lothian, are front and centre as changes are made.

All teachers provide support to children and young people with additional support needs. The Additional Support for Learning Act places education authorities under duties to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils, including those affected by deafness. Education authorities also have duties to ensure that teachers who support children and young people with sensory impairments, including deafness, are appropriately qualified.

Any additional resources required to support the children affected would be a matter for the affected authorities to consider. Officials have engaged with the education authorities to support communication with NHS Lothian on this matter to help them identify any unmet needs.

The Scottish Government provides over £500,000 to voluntary sector organisations to support children and young people with additional support needs including sensory impairment. This includes funding to the Scottish Sensory Centre to support training to increase the capacity of staff in schools to provide effective support to deaf children and young people.