Meet the Team

There are a team of people who are available to help and support you and your family. They are based in health, education, social services and various voluntary organisations.

They can offer you advice and support and will do their best to answer the many questions you may want to ask. They can also be there to give practical help, for example, by providing equipment. When the person you are talking to is unable to give you the advice you need, they will refer you to the member of the team who can give the most appropriate help.

The following chart shows the order in which you may meet various people in the team. If you would like an opportunity to be introduced to representatives from the services, in your area of Essex, please ask so that a meeting can be arranged.

The team who are here to support you include the following:

(a)    Those in the audiology clinic itself:

         The senior audiologist
         The ENT (ear, nose and throat) consultant
         A senior paediatrician
         The specialist teacher for hearing impairment
         A nursery nurse

(b)     Those who work closely with the above professionals:          
          County audiologist
          Specialist social worker for the sensory team
          Educational psychologist
          Representatives from organisations for deaf people 

When your child is referred, an appointment will be sent to you. Should you move and change address, please ensure you let the audiology department know immediately otherwise the appointment could be sent to the wrong address and you may miss out on your appointment date.

Hearing tests will be carried out to determine whether there is a hearing problem and if so whether it is mild, moderate or more severe.

Should a hearing loss be found, further tests may be required, but details will be given to you. You can refer to this website for details of all those professionals and organisations that you may find helpful.

Referrals may be made to other departments depending on your child’s needs.

We like to ensure there is good communication between the various members of the team mentioned above so with your agreement we like to send clinic letters not only to you and your GP, but to the other relevant professionals.