CAMBRIDGESHIRE and PETERBOROUGH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

COMMUNITY CHILD HEALTHMINUTES OF CHILDREN’S HEARING SERVICES WORKING GROUP MEETING

HELD ON THURSDAY 17TH MAY 2012 AT 3.45 P.M.AT MEETING ROOM, CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTRE, CITY CARE CENTRE,

THORPE ROAD, PETERBOROUGH

PRESENT

Dr J Measures – Consultant PaediatricianLinda Angus – Sensory Support TeacherTeresa Quail – Sensory Support Teacher, Jack Hunt School, Lead Teacher of the Deaf for Secondary ProvisionMatthew Powell – Audiologist Jayne McKercer-Kay – Audiologist Wendy Wright – Audiologist Suzanne Taylor – Sensory Support TeacherWendy Haskins – Sensory Support TeacherDean Monaf – Parent & Rep for Peterborough & District Deaf Children’s Society

APOLOGIES

Gary Nethercott – Regional Director, NDCSPenny Baker – Children’s Integrated Disability ServiceClare Major – Manager, Sensory Support ServicesKaren Lake – Public Health, Commissioning PCTLiz Dawson-Butterworth – Audiological ScientistStephen Dart – Peripatetic Teacher of the Deaf

MINUTES TO ALSO GO TO:

Dr Venkat Reddy, Consultant PaediatricianDeborah Kennedy, PA to Interim Director of Children’s ServicesPenny Baker - Children’s Disability TeamClare Major – Interim Manager, Sensory Support ServiceChristine Bellairs – Service Manager Complex Health Needs & DisabilitiesFiona MacCormac, Team Leader Family & Public Health Business Unit at PCHNicola Griffin, Local Manager for Newborn Hearing Screen

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING

Matters Arising

Sensory Support ServicesNow probably moving to Northminster House, probably by start of July. Present manager is still Clare Major. Her manager is Jackie Ross, but only temporarily.

Sign Language ClassesThese are up and running and run by Marion Butcher. Going well. 11 parents have started. Fairly good attendance.

Jack Hunt minibusWas offered for toddler group but parents kept changing their minds and so it has never been taken up.

Speech and Language Therapy NewsWe think Katherine Tateno should be back soon from maternity leave. Jenny did contact Speech and Language Therapy about provision for secondary school children, but no response. Action: JLM to write again.

PDDCS EventsGood attendance at events. Very good Christmas Party at Jack Hunt. 2012 Christmas Party and Panto are already booked. Fun Day is Saturday 19th May 9.30 – 1.30 at Jack Hunt.

Music for the DeafConcert will be in July. Monthly sessions. Equipment is free to borrow. Doing really well. Teresa will make sure Linda is aware of events to alert new parents.

Audiology NewsA new audiological scientist has started (part time). The new head of Newborn Hearing Screening is Fiona MacCormac in the Family & Public Health Business Unit at PCH. Fiona is in charge of all the newborn screening. She is the Team Leader. Nicola Griffin is the local manager for the hearing screeners. We need to send CHSWG Minutes to Fiona and Nicola. Action: JLM

Sensory Support Services BudgetStephen Dart did speak to Clare Major and she said she would look in to it, but no news yet. Jenny will highlight this in Clare Major’s copy of the minutes. The request of Clare is that we can see the budget for our next CHSWG meeting. If not at least the Sensory Support Teachers need to know what the budget is and where the money is going.

Service level agreements between Middleton, Jack Hunt and Sensory Support Services have been written but not yet finalised. Again that needs highlighting in Clare Major’s minutes.

Matters Arising continued

PDDCS website is doing well. Has had 41,000 hits.

NEW AGENDA Items

1. Next QA VisitAudiology, Jenny Measures and Sensory Support Services have all received questionnaires. Dean has not received any. They have to be completed by end June.

2. Sensory Support Service News1. There is a meeting with Jackie Ross next week. Everyone has

to provide detailed diaries/time tables for this meeting.

2. Sensory Support Teachers are now doing hearing tests only if a child has a fluctuating hearing loss or if they have been specifically requested.

3. Radio aids: Sensory Support Services have reviewed their practices. Radio aids are primarily a tool for education. There are possibly some parents who would use them and care for them at home, and return them ready charged to school, but unfortunately not all parents are reliable and having looked into the insurance it is not a practical option. Therefore present policy is to provide radio aids just for use in school.

NDCS has a Best Practice Policy for radio aids but we do not know the details. Dean said he would find out.

Action: Dean

We could also ask Social Care if this comes under environmental aids and is something they should provide for parents.

There is something new coming out about disability aids and how has the budget for providing and insuring equipment. Watch this space.

3. Audiology News

1. Following on from the last QA report, and looking at the CHSWG Terms of Reference, we need to increase the frequency of meetings. We agreed to hold them three times a year.

2. There has been a change in criteria for the 8 month follow ups from newborn hearing screening. There is a list of children who are no longer being called back including family history, certain SCBU criteria, etc.

3. The hearing management pathway needs updating. We discussed and Jenny will do this and send out with the minutes. Action: JLM

Any Other Business

1. We discussed follow up and support for children with aids for unilateral and mild losses. Nothing decided. Watch this space.

2. Suzanne will meet with Audiology to discuss teaching about the early monitoring protocol and levels. This is partly as Sensory Support Services now send progress reports on children to Audiology and they are not self-explanatory. Suzanne has now been on a relevant course.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

3.45 pm on Thursday 27th September 2012 3.15 pm for Sensory Support Services and Audiology 3.45 pm for everybody else

JLM/RJJ/24.05.2012