Protect Young Hearing
- Healthwatch Southend
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Today is World Hearing Day, a global campaign to raise awareness about hearing loss and the importance of ear and hearing care.
Around 90 million children and young people aged 0–19 worldwide are affected by hearing loss. Many causes such as earwax build-up, untreated ear infections, or vaccine-preventable illnesses could be avoided or significantly reduced if detected and treated early.
However, many children live with undiagnosed hearing loss for long periods of time. When hearing difficulties go unnoticed, the impact can be far-reaching. It can affect:
Speech and language development
Learning and educational attainment
Cognitive development
Social skills and emotional wellbeing
Over time, untreated hearing loss can influence employment opportunities and increase the risk of poverty. The challenges are even greater in parts of the world where access to hearing care and support services is limited.
Current hearing checks in England
In the UK, the only universal hearing screening for children is the newborn hearing test, usually carried out within the first few weeks of life.
After this, monitoring relies largely on health visitors observing development and parents raising concerns. If there are worries about a child’s hearing, referrals can be made to a GP or specialist services.
This means ongoing awareness from parents, carers, educators and healthcare professionals is vital. Early intervention can make a life-changing difference.
Have Your Say
We are currently conducting a survey to understand whether people who are deaf are experiencing inequalities in accessing health and social care services, and whether they feel they receive good care from their GP.
If you are deaf — or know someone who is — and would like to share your experience, please get in touch at: info@healthwatchsouthend.co.uk Tel. 01702 416320
Resources in Southend
Hearing loss team – Southend based support for children and young people who have diagnosed hearing loss, a referral is needed for this service.
Essex Paediatric Audiology services – diagnostics up to the age of 18 by GP referral
Hearing help Essex is a free service to service hearing aids, they currently sessions in Southend
Comments