'Doctors failed to spot our boy was severely deaf'

The parents of a boy whose severe hearing loss went undetected by doctors for three-and-a-half years have revealed they are taking legal action against a hospital trust.

Kirstie and Gavin, from Ulceby, claim they were repeatedly told by specialists at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust that son Tommie's hearing was fine from birth, and that his lack of development was more likely a result of being born prematurely.

Specialists even told them not to worry as "boys are lazy" and often take longer to develop than girls, they claimed.

The trust apologised to the family but added it was unable to comment on individual cases due to legal proceedings.

Kirstie, 33, said: "I repeatedly said to paediatricians from Tommie being less than a year old that he couldn't hear, and that I could stand behind him and bash pans, or turn the television off, and he wouldn't react.

"They said it was probably because he was focused on playing and I was made to feel like I was being an over-protective first-time mum."

According to Hudgell Solicitors, which is representing the family, it was not until Tommy's eighth hearing test - when he was three-and-a-half years old - that he was diagnosed as being profoundly deaf.

Even then, Tommie, who is now 10, was not immediately fitted with cochlear implants. Instead, he was given hearing aids, which according to the family, fitted poorly and made little difference.

In meetings with the trust, the family said they were told Tommie should have had cochlear implants fitted between the age of six and 12 months.

They were also told that babies fitted with an implant before the age of 18 months go on to have normal speech and normal development.

Tommie's family paid for him to be seen by private specialists who wrote to the NHS saying he needed cochlear implants.

"When he got them, they were transformational," said Kirstie.

Tommie was assessed in his early years by paediatrics specialists at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby.

Its audiology department, along with that at Scunthorpe General Hospital, was investigated in 2023 as part of a national audit by the British Academy of Audiology (BAA) after the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme flagged concerns over test results.

In a letter to Tommie's parents, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust said the BAA review team had identified "a number of things that have sadly gone wrong within the audiology department over many years".

It said a "theme seen through the investigation" was newborn hearing screen tests "not being performed in line with the instructions", leading to parents being told their children had normal hearing when they had not.

It added that, when later referred to the audiology department for a diagnostic hearing assessment, tests were again not being performed in line with the instructions.

The trust said a number of results should also have been sent to other organisations for an external assessment, but this was found not to have been happening, with only one person trained to do so.

It continued: "If we had more than one person trained, if we had used the mechanism for peer assessment that was in place, if the management hierarchy asked for evidence, then Tommie's hearing loss would have been identified sooner, and he would have received treatment.

"The late management or investigation of your child's hearing loss is why you're receiving this report as we feel your child has come to harm and their speech and language acquisition may have been affected."

In a statement issued to the BBC, the trust said in light of the 2023 review it had carried out a "comprehensive recall of children who may have required further assessment".

It added: "All families identified by the review were contacted and offered follow-up appointments, and support continues to be provided if required.

"All recommendations from the independent review have now been implemented, including strengthening clinical governance, enhancing staff training and investing in improved facilities and equipment, as part of our aim to deliver safe, high-quality audiology services."

The trust said a team from NHS England visited the service in October and confirmed significant improvements had been made and that it was now deemed safe.

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