24/05/2016

CHSWG–24th May 2016

M I N U T E S

Minute Taker: IR

Those attending:
Kate Johnston (Chair)
Judith Cook
Linda Atkinson
Claire Jackson
Nicola Bowman
Nicola Taylor
Isabel Russell
Jane Fairclough (Speech and Language Therapist)
Alison Lawson
Alison Bravey
Lindsay Short (Assistant Coordinator for NHSP)
Anna Bradley
Chris Serle
Pip Harrison (Sensory support teacher)
Helen Boyd / Action by
1. / Apologies:
David Meikle, Emma Gashi, Doris Ross, Sarah Kitchen
Hilary Glyde, Tina Bellamy, Suzanne Marley
2. / Items to be brought up under AOB
Sarah Kitchen, retiring Health Visitor
3. / Minutes of Previous Meeting 4th February 2016)
Minutes read and agreed for accuracy.
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13. / Updates from Sensory Support Service (SSS)
A Mobility and Rehabilitation Officer has been appointed to join the VI team.
Jane Bishop will be retiring in July and a new replacement has been appointed.
Ginny Parker is currently undergoing Early Years Specialist training.
Sue Churchill, who has been working one day a week in the Berwick area, will finish in July.
There is a local area inspection pending for Northumberland, looking into local areas’ effectiveness in identifying and meeting the needs of children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities
Alison Lawson requested that an electronic copy of the SEND inspection framework be sent to group members
HI Audits
Good returns:
LSA / School Satisfaction / School Age Parents / Preschool Parents / Pupil
31/41 / 25/29 / 24/34 / 20/31 / 12/19
The audits provide very useful quantitative and qualitative data
Parents were offered the opportunity to be part of a focus group to discuss current issues.
A new Local Offer has been launched and parents have been invited to look at it and feedback.
Transition Day
Emerick looking for support to run this event in the autumn at the Freeman Hospital. Contacts are being made with Deaf Link, Newcastle College and Action on Hearing Loss. Sensory Support has offered to support. The NDCS Listening Bus is in the North East during the last two weeks in November and may be able to be part of the event. The NDCS post-16 workshop, ‘My Future’ can be delivered on the Listening Bus.
An evening event was suggested.
Open Fit Moulds
Only appropriate for mild and moderate hearing losses.
Parents need proper informed choice about the management of open fit moulds. Younger school age children find them challenging, falling off, blocking, dome can become detached, young child unable to explain if the tube is blocked
Benefit of open fit moulds – allow as much natural sound to be heard naturally as well as amplify the frequencies that are needed. Suggestion was made for a vent to be made in a skeleton (open) mould as an alternative. KJ to take this back to Freeman
Suggestion that advice on different types of moulds be given at Audiology appointments, that highlights the challenges with open fit moulds that have been reported
‘Right from the Start’ campaign by NDCS Celebrating the 10 year anniversary of NHSP
Campaign to improve early years support for deaf children
Discussion around the call for paediatric audiology services to become accredited.
KJ concerned about the cost of registration and maintaining registration and urged NDCS to campaign for funding alongside the campaign for accreditation.
Funding for signing classes also expensive and accessibility difficult. Possible topic for a future CHSWG meeting.
Family Support for EHCP
Education, Health and Care Plans provide joined up provision to meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The Plan is outcome focused.
NDCS can support families through this process.
Parents usually contact NDCS if there is a difficulty or they don’t feel they’re getting the right support. NDCS are willing to look at draft plans and advice can also be given via their Helpline
The Council for Disabled Children support young people through the EHCP process via Independent Support.
Northumberland’s support is provided through SPIRE - good support although not necessarily enough specialist knowledge about deafness and providing for the needs of deaf young people.
Sensory Support provide a report for the EHCP process as well as the Educational Psychologists and it is most effective when there is collaboration between the two, to write one report. Audiology and the Implant Team also provide reports where appropriate.
A suggestion was made that communication could be better between Sensory Support and NDCS around the EHCP process. To be followed up in writing.
Stakeholder Participation/Teen Council
Feedback from service users - Teen Council has open access to feedback on Sensory Support website.
Two meetings of the Teen Council have taken place at Riverside. The young people have discussed a variety of topics
  • Their views about the Sensory Support Service
  • A social event to bring deaf young people together
  • Youth Parliament for hearing impaired young people
  • Funding of equipment
  • Confidence of hearing impaired young people
NDCS Deaf Apprentice - working towards a qualification in Youth Work. Teen Council to be informed
SaLT referrals
News from a paediatric networking meeting attended by Phil Lindsay - Audiology departments are being overwhelmed with paediatric referrals from SaLT coming through where there is no parental concern over the child’s hearing. JF was asked what criteria are used to try and reduce the number of referrals to Audiology from SaLT. JF to take back to the Newcastle team.
Suggestion made from CS to audit the number of referrals and where they are coming from.
Health Technology Assessment Report on School Hearing
Some services to schools are under threat. The Freeman has taken over Newcastle schools screening. The Freeman carries out training with the screeners that go into schools. There needs to be consistency in pathways, protocols and training in regions to ensure equitable service
AOB
  • Summary of results from Lindsey Short from the New-born Hearing Screening Programme
KPI 1 screens completed with 4 weeks, 98.7% a slightly lower than previous quarter. The reduction occurred in the quarter that we were working with reduced staffing and training 3 new screeners.
KPI 2 screen completion who attended Audiology within 4 weeks 90%
Since the introduction of the screening plan to help lower the Unilateral referral rate it has reduced to 4.6% for period 01/10/15-31/12/15
Two of the new screeners have successfully completed their OSCE which is a national requirement from PHE to complete
Results from the patient experience survey that was completed for the service w/c 04.04.16, show very positive outcomes for the New-born hearing screening programme across the North of Tyne area.
AB- Guide to Services 2017 (which sits alongside the Local Offer) now available
KJ- Lost aids
Seeking advice about the costly problem of lost hearing aids. Putting together a Terms and Conditions which will inform parents of how much the hearing aids actually cost. Proposing that after losing two sets of aids within a twelve month period, it goes to a panel to discuss the next steps forward.
4 years and younger must wear a clip.
  • AB to send KJ the Implant team’s handout that explains to parents the cost of the equipment they have been given.
  • AL to provide KJ on NDCS loan of equipment
CS- descriptors of hearing loss.
Audiology use an array of thresholds eg .mild to moderate whereas BATOD use best ear average thresholds. KJ to send CS the descriptors they use. Sensory Support to discuss at a staff meeting. Eligibility Criteria wold be affected if there was a change to using array of thresholds rather than BEA.
Date of next meeting:
Tuesday 18th October 2016 at 4pm / NT
KJ
KJ
AL
NT
IR
JF
AB
AL

Isabel Russell