01246 277 271
The Children’s Hearing Service consists of a highly experienced and dedicated team of 5 Audiologists with a special interest in Paediatric Audiology and 5 clinical scientists who support the Chesterfield Team.
The Service has proudly held IQIPS (Improving Quality in Physiological Services) UKAS Accreditation since 2017.
The Children’s Hearing Service accepts referrals for children from 0-16 years (up to 19 years in the case of young people with complex needs). Children with permanent or temporary hearing loss and children with syndromes associated with hearing loss are monitored by the service. Referrals are currently only accepted from Health / Educational Professionals.
The Children's Hearing service has a newly refurbished suite of 4 testing rooms at Chesterfield Royal Hospital; 2 are purpose-built soundproof rooms. The Service also has a soundproof room facility at Buxton Health Centre & in 2026 will also have a soundproof room facility at Walton Community Diagnostic Centre in Chesterfield.
The service is by appointment only.
The service consists of 4 fully trained Newborn Hearing Screeners. The local Newborn Hearing Screening Programme Manager is also the Children’s Hearing Services Manager enabling a smooth transition of care for any babies referred from the hearing screen for diagnostic assessment.
The Newborn Hearing Screening Team identify babies eligible to be screened and screening is offered within the first few hours of life. Babies under the well-baby pathway are screened whilst in Chesterfield Birth Centre, or on Trinity Ward. Babies who are admitted to a Neonatal Unit for care are screened on the Neonatal Unit as close to discharge as possible.
For babies who are born out of screening hours or those who have been discharged, screening will be arranged at an outpatient clinic and you will be notified as soon as we are able to offer an appointment at Chesterfield Royal or Buxton Health Centre . Newborn hearing screens can be completed up to 3 months of age however we like to screen babies as soon as possible because babies are generally more settled / sleepy in the first few weeks of life.
Babies who do not pass the hearing screen are referred on to the Children’s Hearing Service for further diagnostic .
The Newborn Hearing Screening Service is currently by appointment only for outpatient clinics.