Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support deaf children.

The Department is taking a number of steps to support deaf children. The Action Plan on Hearing Loss (2015) sets out key objectives on hearing loss including: prevention, early diagnosis, maximising independence, and enabling people, including children to take part in every-day activities. NHS England has produced a series of guides to help deliver the recommendations of the Action Plan available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/what-works-guides-action-plan-on-hearing-loss/

Commissioning of hearing services takes place at a local level based on the needs of the local population. In 2019 NHS England, with input from the National Deaf Children’s Society, published a guide for commissioners and health and local authority providers who support children and young people with hearing loss available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/what-works-chswg-guide.pdf

The guide provides practical advice to organisations, commissioners and providers on how they can ensure children with hearing loss receive the support they need throughout the system, so that they can lead successful, fulfilling and independent lives.