Available on the Learning Hub

This programme is available on the NHS Learning Hub. We recommend you read the information on this webpage to find out more about the programme before you access the learning (https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/Delivering-Ear-Checks).

More information about the Learning Hub and the migration of elfh programmes can be found here.

About the Delivering Ear Checks in Residential Special Schools: Training Programme

This e-learning programme is designed for school staff, nurses, audiologist’s therapists, carers and support staff who are preparing to deliver ear checks in residential special schools.

Its purpose is to equip you with the skills and knowledge required to deliver ear checks in special residential school and college settings. It offers a flexible knowledge and skills-based approach to deliver ear checks, incorporating the reasonable adjustments needed by each individual child or young person and supports appropriate onward referral.

It comprises five sessions:

1. Introduction to ear checks in residential special schools
2. Auditory anatomy and the causes of hearing loss
3. Infection control in hearing assessments
4. Conducting an ear check
5. Ear health outcomes and pathways

By the end of the elearning programme, you will be able to recognise the importance of ear and hearing health for the outcomes of children and young people with learning disabilities and/or who are autistic in residential special school settings, know how to conduct an ear check in residential special school settings and be able to identify ear and hearing problems which require onward referral.

The Ear Checks Programme was carried out as part of the NHS Long Term Plan to provide sensory checks (vision, dental and hearing) within residential special schools. Ear and hearing problems are often unseen and can go unnoticed because of diagnostic overshadowing. A pilot programme conducted by NHSE and HIN identified unmet need (13%) and pointed to the importance of team working and a personalised approach in order to support the child/ or young person to access the ear check. With this in mind, the training programme has been designed to highlight the importance of ear health, for all children and young people, even if spoken language is not their primary method of communication; to prepare for the reasonable adjustments needed for each individual child or young person to support them in accessing the ear check, and to develop the skills and knowledge to identify ear and hearing problems requiring onward referral.

More information

A resource pack has been developed to support all stakeholders involved in commissioning, delivering, or receiving an ear check. This includes:

1. Service specification
2. Clinical standards and guidance
3. Ear checks questionnaire for children and young people in residential special schools
4. Summary of the ear checks programme
5. Hearing checks in residential special schools: Social return on investment report
6. Pilot programme report
7. Co-produced support resources and community of practice

Acknowledgements

Dr. Siobhán Brennan – Audiology Lecturer, University of Manchester
Jack Stancel-Lewis – Clinical Lead, NHSE
Melanie Gregory – Senior Policy Programme Manager, NHSE

Thanks to
The Ear Checks Expert Reference Group
Gwen Carr, Prof Adrian Davis, Yolanta McCall, Joyce Sewell-Rutter and Dr Sarah Hogan for their contribution to the first session

How to access

To access this elfh programme, you will require a Learning Hub account. If you do not have one, then you can register by selecting the Register button below. Note that if you hold a full elfh account, you can sign into the Learning Hub using your existing login credentials.

Register

To view the Delivering Ear Checks in Residential Special Schools: Training Programme, select the View button below. If you already have a Learning Hub account, you will also be able to login and access the resources within the programme.

View

NHS healthcare staff in England – ESR

The Delivering Ear Checks in Residential Special Schools: Training Programme is also available to NHS healthcare staff via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). Accessing this e-learning via ESR means that your completions will transfer with you throughout your NHS career.
Further details are available here.

Not an NHS organisation?

If you are not an NHS health or care organisation and therefore do not qualify for free access to the Learning Hub, you may be able to access the service if you have an existing OpenAthens account. Please go to Learning Hub and sign in with your existing credentials.

If you do not have an existing OpenAthens account, please contact elfh directly to check whether you may be eligible for access.

Registering large numbers of users

If you are a HR, IT or Practice Manager and would like to register and enrol large numbers of staff within your organisation for access onto the Delivering Ear Checks in Residential Special Schools: Training Programme, please contact elfh directly.

Organisations wishing to use their own LMS

For HR departments wanting to know more about gaining access to courses using an existing Learning Management System please contact elfh directly to express interest.

More information

Please select the following link for more information on how to use the Learning Hub