Welcome to the Yorkshire Auditory Implant Service (Listening for Life Centre).
We strive to offer a flexible service guided by the needs of the individual child or adult while maintaining quality standards.
Our multidisciplinary team of professionals includes:
- Consultant ENT surgeons
- Head of service
- Clinical scientists (Audiology)
- Teachers of the deaf
- Speech and language therapists
- Technicians
- Rehabilitation Support Worker
We also have access to:
- Interpreters
- Clinical and educational psychologist
- Radiography department
The whole process of initial assessment, fitting the implant and rehabilitation involves the patient and families working with the team in a variety of settings, including the hospital, home and, for children, school. This demands a high level of commitment from everyone involved.
Through working in partnership a caring, committed and tailor-made service is provided for each individual.
For detailed information on how we hear, hearing loss and cochlear implants, visit the Yorkshire Auditory Implant Service’s microsite.
Referral guidelines
Over the years, the guidelines for cochlear implant assessment have gradually changed. This is because we now have an in-depth understanding of the importance of assessment and selection, and the hard and software used to provide cochlear Implants has improved with each generation.
Referral
There are certain factors which must be considered before a patient is referred to the service as a potential candidate for a cochlear implant. The following conditions will normally need to be met:
- Children and adults should have a severe/profound bilateral sensori-neural hearing loss
- Only adequate benefit is gained from appropriately fitted, high-powered aids
- The candidate is using their hearing aids consistently
Other issues to consider are:
- Patients whose severe/profound hearing loss is a consequence of meningitis should be fast-tracked regardless of hearing aid use. This is to reduce the risk of cochlear inner ear bone growth. These patients will be prioritised throughout the assessment process.
- There is no minimum age for referral for children. Where Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) testing is used as the basis for referral or to provide additional information, this should be performed using tone pips and in line with national recommended procedures.
- There is no maximum age for referral for adults. Patients must be medically fit for surgery and this will be checked during the assessment process.
- Children and adults with progressive hearing losses should be referred when hearing levels of 80-85 dBHL at 2 or more frequencies in the range of 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, 2,000 Hz, 3,000 Hz and 4,000 Hz are reached in both ears.
- Children and adults with additional needs should be referred and we will offer a service appropriate to their needs.
Who can refer?
Referrals can be received from audiologists, general practitioners, paediatricians (children) and local ENT consultants. Please phone the service to discuss if necessary.
We provide a service that covers a wide geographical area and we appreciate that many of our adult patients commit to travelling considerable distances to attend appointments at the Listening for Life Centre.
In line with NHS England recommendations and in order to offer expert support locally, we have established outreach services based both at Barnsley Hospital and in Hull. Our own experienced and qualified staff travel to these locations to provide support for established cochlear implant users.
These sessions are held frequently and consist of annual review appointments, a spares and repairs service and patient support group meetings. Alongside the audiology session, this informal meeting enables cochlear implant users and their families to meet others and share experiences.
