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Hearing Assesment Program | Selma and Sherliee McManus
1. Hearing Assessment
Program- Early Ears
HAP-EE
Presenters:
Selma Kum Sing Sherilee McManus
Senior Community Engagement Officer Community Engagement Officer
North Queensland New South Wales
Hearing Assessment Program – Early Ears Hearing Assessment Program – Early Ears
Selma.kum-sing@hearing.com Sherilee.McManus@hearing.com.au
2. Hearing Assessment Program – Early Ears 2
I would like to acknowledge the Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first people
of this country and pay my respects to the
Traditional Owners and Elders, past, present and
emerging, of the land on which we stand today.
4. Hearing Assessment Program- Early Ears 4
Budget Announcement
• Federal Budget announcement of $30m
funding for a new program
• Aimed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander children from birth to school entry
• Focus on children in very remote, remote
and regional locations
• Funding through to 30 June 2022
May 2018
5. Hearing Assessment Program- Early Ears 5
Timeline
May 2018- January 2019- Department of Health consultations with
NACCHO and its affiliates, State and Territory Health
Departments, Research Agencies, Hearing Australia and other
Stakeholders.
February 2019- Department of Health announced limited tender
for delivery of the program with Hearing Australia as sole
tenderer.
May 2019- Contract executed
June 2019- Staff recruitment commences
July 2019- Service delivery commences, QLD and Victoria
Creating HAP-EE
6. Hearing Assessment Program- Early Ears 6
Anticipated Outcomes
• a reduction in the long-term effects of ear disease through early
rehabilitative hearing services and early referral for specialist
treatment, surgery, speech and language support and other clinical
services where required;
• a reduction in time between hearing loss identification and first
rehabilitative hearing consultation by the Grantee;
• lowering the age at which hearing aids are fitted for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander children;
• expedited recommendations for referral to follow-up services; and
• increased capacity within primary health services to identify,
manage and monitor ear health in accordance with clinical care
guidelines on the management of otitis media in Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander populations.
7. Hearing Assessment Program- Early Ears 7
Three Components
• Identify ear disease and hearing loss in children and
initiate appropriate referrals and interventions
• Work with primary health services to support them in
building their capacity to identify hearing loss and
middle ear disease in young children
• Raise the awareness of the importance of early
detection of hearing loss and middle ear disease
9. The children we see are your patients- you get the results
Children are only seen if we have signed consent forms
The audiologist enters the test results into our database as she does the test
If you allow us, at the end of the day, the results are entered into YOUR database
Before the audiologist leaves she goes through the results and recommendations with you
Within a week of the trip we send you individual reports for the children we have seen
If children need treatment or referral, they enter YOUR treatment and referral pathway
We liaise with you on future visits so that we can follow up on children who need retesting
We are working on developing our reporting suite and hope to be able to send you outcome reports
Hearing Australia does report on overall results and outcomes to the Department of Health
Hearing Assessment Program- Early Ears 9
10. The results so far (as at mid October 2019)-
We have assessed 175 children
Approx. 25% of the children have presented with middle ear dysfunction in either one or both ears
11 Referrals have been made for amplification
16 Referrals have been made for ENT Services
Hearing Assessment Program- Early Ears 10
12. There are lots of ways
First 10 locations were specified by Department of Health (included Derby and Fitzroy Crossing in
WA). Health wrote to services in these locations formally inviting them to participate in the program.
Hearing Australia consultations with NACCHO affiliates, Healthy Ears fund-holders and
State/Territory Hearing Services identify places with high need
Regional Ear Health Steering Committees identify communities with high need
Health Services directly nominate themselves
PHN requests
Hearing Australia Outreach Audiologists suggest services that may have a need ( usually based on
high number requests to assess young children)
Hearing Assessment Program- Early Ears 12
13. Is there a limit to
numbers of
locations?
Hearing Assessment Program- Early Ears
14. We don’t have a limit to number of participants!!!
We want the program to work in as many locations as wanted
If there is no need in a location we won’t go there
Many of our Eastern state locations have large populations but are
very accessible- cost savings there can subsidise services to
remote locations
As we help services build their capacity, we can alter visiting
patterns
We will be looking to introduce tele-audiology services to help us
improve our efficiency (that’s a project for next year)
Hearing Assessment Program- Early Ears 14
15. What Happens if
a community
decides to
participate?
Hearing Assessment Program- Early Ears
16. The Steps to starting HAP-EE
A HAP-EE Aboriginal Community Engagement Officer will organise to meet with the primary health
service(s)
The Engagement Officer and the Service representatives review what is currently happening vs
what is desired
Agreement on how HAP-EE could work for the services is reached (includes what upskilling and
hearing awareness activities are required)
Dates and details for audiology visits are agreed
Audiology services commence
Engagement Officer will also contact early education services in the community
Engagement Officer continues to work with the service to monitor and adjust program over time
Hearing Assessment Program- Early Ears 16
17. Some Examples
Primary Health Service requests that we run a workshop for parents as first step so that the parents
understand why they should bring the children along to be tested
Agree to run the first days at the kindy/playgroup or equivalent
Primary Health Services organises for audiologist to work with a healthworker to support them in
developing their skills in hearing screening
Local PHN organises dates for HAP-EE audiologists to see young children GP clinics
We agree to do additional visits to a “satellite” clinic in smaller community so that families do not
have to travel to the main clinic
NOTE: We cannot fund ear health worker positions or similar.
Hearing Assessment Program- Early Ears 17
19. So far we have taken the HAP-EE to-
NSW- Moree, Wagga, Taree, Kempsey, Nowra, Ballina
QLD- Toowoomba, Cherbourg, Yarrabah, Cape York, Mt Isa, Torres St
VIC- Bairnsdale, Mildura, Dareton
SA- Ceduna, Yalata
NT- Wadeye, Maningrida, Oenpelli
WA- Fitzroy Crossing, Derby, Eastern Goldfields
There are many discussions currently taken place at other locations to commence in early 2020
Hearing Assessment Program- Early Ears 19