Camilla Kingdon’s report calls for urgent reform of paediatric audiology, warning of systemic neglect, poor oversight and avoidable harm
A government-commissioned review has found that nearly 300 children have been harmed by failings in NHS children’s hearing services, with the true number likely to be higher.
The independent review, led by Dr Camilla Kingdon, was launched in April 2025 to examine NHS England’s response to these failures and recommend reforms.
Drawing on evidence from more than 100 professionals and 450 written submissions, the report found serious variation in the quality of services and widespread breaches of clinical standards. Delays in diagnosis and poor coordination between services have caused what the report describes as “profound” and sometimes lifelong harm.
Delays, missed care and lost opportunities
Children’s hearing services across England are struggling to meet national guidelines. NICE, the UK’s independent health guidance authority, recommends reassessment for glue ear within three months, but long waiting lists make this impossible in many areas.
The review also found that early screening is inconsistent. Some NHS trusts carry out newborn hearing tests up to eight weeks after birth, too late to detect and treat congenital infections such as cytomegalovirus (CMV), which can cause preventable deafness. This delay risks undermining the impact of new treatments, including gene therapy for congenital deafness.
Leadership and governance failures
Dr Kingdon’s report is sharply critical of NHS England’s Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement Programme, set up in 2023 to coordinate the recall of affected children. It concludes that the programme “has not been set up for success”, lacking both authority and adequate resources.
Communication between NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) “did not follow expected practice”, with no dedicated DHSC lead and no formal ministerial briefing until 2024.
The review found “no assurance of quality” in children’s hearing services and revealed that only 27 of 139 NHS services are fully accredited under the Improving Quality in Physiological Services (IQIPS) scheme.
A neglected workforce
The audiology workforce, the report says, has been “neglected for years”. It highlights “little professional governance and fragmented professional representation”, low morale, bullying and fear of speaking up. There is no single professional register for audiologists and limited access to training or continuing professional development.
The review sets out 12 recommendations grouped into three themes: understanding the scale of the problem, strengthening services, and applying lessons to other parts of the NHS.
Key actions include:
- Urgent redesign of the Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement Programme to complete the review and recall of affected children.
- Creation of a single national register for audiologists and a unified professional body.
- Appointment of a lead healthcare scientist in every NHS trust to oversee safety and performance.
- Overhaul of audiology training and CPD.
- Investment in data collection, research and technology.
- Establishment of a regional incident response process to manage service failings.
Dr Kingdon concludes that the findings are relevant beyond audiology, warning that any NHS service which attracts “little attention, investment or scrutiny” risks similar failures.
Call for leadership and collaboration
“The solutions are neither overly complex nor expensive,” she writes, but they require “a focused piece of work co-produced with frontline audiologists and with parents and carers of affected babies and children.”
“Hearing is essential to a child’s development, learning and confidence,” said Irene Wong, a hearing specialist at Hearology®. “This review highlights long-standing issues in the clinical governance and standardisation of paediatric audiology services that must now be addressed with urgency. Every child deserves timely, accurate hearing care and a system that families can trust. Hearology® is going to play its part by launching its own paediatric service in 2026.”
In a letter to Kingdon after publication of the report, Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said: “I would like to assure you that we fully understand the importance of getting it right for children’s hearing services and for other important services that do not receive the attention they deserve. I am determined to make sure this never happens again.”
References
- Kingdon review of children's hearing services: final report – The full Kingdon report
- Is the Kingdon Review a wake-up call for NHS audiology services? – Royal National Institute for Deaf People comments on the concering findings from the Kingdom review
- Letter from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to Dr Camilla Kingdon – The Health Secretary’s full response to the report
