Your child's appointment with the audiology service

Once your referral has been accepted, you will receive a letter asking you to call the appointments office on 020 3049 8592 to book a convenient time for your child's appointment.

Confirmation of your appointment, along with a map of the clinic location and a questionnaire, will be sent to you by post.

Please check the clinic location on your appointment letter carefully. You can also find information about where to find our clinics on the community services page.

If you need to change your appointment, please contact the appointments office on 020 3049 8592 at least two days before your appointment so we can offer the appointment to another patient.

If this is your child's first appointment, you'll be sent a questionnaire with the appointment confirmation letter. Please complete this and bring it with you to your child's first appointment.

We will let you know if you need to bring anything else with you.

The results of the appointment are discussed with you on the day, with a written report sent to you afterwards.

All babies born in England are offered newborn hearing screening (NHSP). If, following their newborn hearing screening, your baby needs further testing they may be referred to our audiology centre for a specialist hearing assessment, called an ABR.

For more information about this hearing assessment, please watch our film about your baby's first hearing test.

Find out more about newborn hearing screening.

Most preschool aged children are seen by two audiologists. We will play some games with your child in order to test their hearing. We may also use some automatic tests.

Some children have their hearing tested using listening games – this is called play audiometry. For more information on how to prepare your child for this type of test, please watch our film about practicing for a hearing test. 

Often we use headphones to find out more about your child's ears so it is helpful for you to practice using headphones with your child at home before your appointment with us.

If your child has any favourite toys, games or television shows, please let us know as we may be able to use these during the appointment.

If your child has hearing aids, please bring them to every appointment.

School aged children will be seen by one audiologist. Usually we will ask your child to wear headphones and press a button when they hear a sound.

You may find it useful to talk with your child about their hearing before the appointment to help them think of anything they may want to tell us, or any questions they may want to ask.

If your child has hearing aids, please bring them to every appointment.

We offer specialist individualised hearing assessments to children with social communication disorders, including autistic spectrum disorder or other complex needs.

Find out more about Hummingbird clinics.

Between the ages of 16 and 19 we'll discuss transition to adult audiology services.

Find out more about transition.

We provide digital hearing aids which use the latest technology. These come in a range of child-friendly colours with different features.

If you have any questions about your child's hearing aid, please call us on 020 3049 8592 and speak to one of the audiologists.

We also have a hearing aid information booklet (PDF 1.03Mb) which you may find useful.

If your child needs a new earmould, you can book a short hearing aid maintenance appointment at St Thomas' Hospital, Sunshine House or Kaleidoscope. To book an appointment please call us on 020 3049 8592.

You can also attend a local community earmould clinic closer to home. These are run by hearing support services. To book an appointment at one of these clinics contact your hearing support service or teacher of the deaf.

To help your child understand how impressions are taken for new earmoulds, please watch our short film about making earmoulds. 

If your child has been given a hearing aid and it gets lost or broken, you can book a hearing aid maintenance appointment at St Thomas' Hospital, Sunshine House or Kaleidoscope to get a replacement/loan hearing aid.

Appointments can be booked at short notice by calling our appointments line on 020 3049 8592.

Please note that we do not hold 'walk-in' hearing aid repair clinics at any of our locations.

Alternatively, any hearing aids needing repair can also be sent by post to the children and young people's audiology centre at St Thomas' Hospital. The postal address for the audiology centre is:

Children and young people's audiology centre
2nd floor, South Wing, staircase C
St Thomas' Hospital
Westminster Bridge Road
London SE1 7EH

A loan hearing aid will be sent to you within 48 hours if your child needs one while the broken hearing aid is being repaired.