Specialist children's hearing assessment rooms open in West Swindon

Children and families in Swindon can now benefit from two newly refurbished purpose-built hearing assessment rooms, providing a specialist environment for babies and young children to have their hearing tested.

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has opened two sound-treated Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA) rooms at the West Swindon Community Diagnostic Centre, supporting paediatric hearing assessments in the town.

The purpose-built rooms have been designed to provide the specialist environment needed for clinicians to carry out accurate, high-quality hearing assessments, while creating a more comfortable experience for children and their families.

Appropriate specialist facilities are particularly important in paediatric audiology, with babies and young children often assessed at a crucial stage of their development. Identifying potential hearing problems and providing the right support early on can play an important role in children's communication and development.

Salim Suleman, Head of Audiology Services at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted to have opened these two new purpose-built rooms, which will make a real difference to the care we can provide to babies, children and their families.

“Hearing assessments in young children require a specialist environment and equipment to help our teams get the most accurate results possible.

“These new rooms give our paediatric audiology colleagues an environment designed specifically around the needs of the children we they see, while helping us provide families with a high-quality and positive experience."

The development comes as children's hearing services nationally continue to focus on ensuring consistently safe and effective care, following the Kingdon Review of Children's Hearing Services in England.

It also builds on quality improvements already made within the Trust's Audiology service. The service is UKAS accredited through IQIPS, reflecting its commitment to recognised quality standards. An NHS England PASQAT assurance review also assessed the service as low risk overall, following significant improvement, and found the care provided was consistent with safe and effective clinical practice.

The facility will allow the paediatric audiology team to continue building on these improvements, ensuring babies and children are receiving the care they need in the right place, by reducing waiting lists and enabling quicker access to treatment – making it easier for everyone to access healthcare services regardless of where they live in the area.