The report, led by Dr Camilla Kingdon, one of the UK’s most respected paediatricians, was commissioned in April by Health Secretary Wes Streeting following growing concerns about systemic failings in paediatric audiology.
Kingdon’s findings paint a devastating picture of negligence, poor training, and leadership failures at the heart of NHS England. Her investigation uncovered that many of the country’s 139 audiology services were carrying out inaccurate tests, misinterpreting results, and leaving children with hearing loss undiagnosed for years.
“For every year we delay fixing this, more children will come to harm,” Kingdon warned. “Even in the last three months since I submitted my report, more children’s life chances have been changed forever.”
Children Misdiagnosed and Mislabeled
The inquiry identified 309 children who were directly harmed between 2018 and 2023 though Kingdon said this is likely an underestimate, with problems dating back as far as 2008. Some children were wrongly given the all-clear when they required hearing aids or cochlear implants, while others were misdiagnosed as autistic or learning disabled.
Denied access to sound during crucial developmental years, many children suffered from speech, learning, and behavioural difficulties that could have been prevented.
Kingdon described the situation as a “disaster for families” and said leadership changes were needed within NHS England.
Ignored Warnings and Leadership Failures
Her report reveals that senior NHS officials, including Dame Sue Hill, were warned as early as 2013 about failings in newborn hearing services. Despite formal letters raising concerns, no meaningful action was taken.
“These were formal communications with Public Health England and NHS England, yet they were ignored,” Kingdon said. “I could find no evidence any action was taken. It was a dereliction of duty.”
The inquiry also found that requests for funding to investigate or replace outdated equipment were repeatedly rejected. One centre was reportedly using 30-year-old testing equipment, while another had to conduct sensitive hearing tests in an office next to a printer.
Poor Training and Lack of Regulation
Kingdon’s review found that some NHS audiologists had received as little as half a day’s training before working with children. She has called for mandatory professional registration for audiologists and strict national standards to ensure safety and competence.
At present, anyone can claim to be an audiologist, even within the NHS, a loophole Kingdon said must be closed urgently.
Emotional Toll and Systemic Neglect
Dr Kingdon, a consultant neonatologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, said she was “tearful and emotionally devastated” after interviewing more than 100 NHS staff, managers, and families.
“Children’s health services in this country are often treated as a Cinderella sector,” she said. “That mindset allows neglect to fester and children’s needs to be deprioritised.”
Her findings show that parents had to battle the system to get help, with some paying privately for care. One family spent £6,000 on private treatment after waiting over a year for an NHS appointment.
Government and NHS Response
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he was “deeply troubled” by the findings and vowed to take immediate action:
“This report exposes a decade of unacceptable failings. We will soon publish a new framework to ensure that such warnings are never ignored again.”
Meghana Pandit, NHS England’s Medical Director, apologised to families, acknowledging “serious structural and systemic issues” that had caused distress and long-term harm.
“Children deserved better,” she said. “We are now taking concerted action to improve services, appointing national advisers for hearing and related conditions to drive accountability and reform.”
A Long Road to Repair
While the inquiry represents a critical step toward accountability, Kingdon warned that many affected families may never get justice. As of November 2025, 2,581 children have been identified as at risk, with 768 cases still under review.
“This is a basic service every developed nation should provide,” Kingdon said. “The UK can and must do better.”
A government inquiry led by Dr Camilla Kingdon has uncovered widespread failures in NHS audiology services, leaving hundreds of deaf children misdiagnosed and permanently affected. The report blames NHS leadership for ignoring warnings for over a decade and calls for urgent reforms, training standards, and accountability across children’s hearing care.
