5. To ask the First Minister what support the Scottish Government is offering to NHS Lothian to contact the parents and guardians of the over 23,000 children who reportedly may have received substandard testing to identify deafness, including support to identify any other young children who have not received the required standard of auditory brainstem response testing. (S6F-02510)

First, I recognise the anxiety and anger that the children and families who have been affected by the situation quite reasonably feel. When the issue emerged,

Miles Briggs and I met, because I was then the Cabinet Secretary

for Health and Social Care.

I understand the anger not just of the families and children who are involved but of those who advocate for them.

The Scottish Government is working in partnership with NHS Lothian to ensure continued progress on the actions that are in the British Academy of Audiology’s report. The BAA advised that not all of the 23,000 children who were seen between 2009 and 2018 required to be reviewed. Those who required that were offered a retest by NHS Lothian; that was based on the timeline that was associated with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman’s investigation and on the sample size of the BAA review. I understand that families are being contacted directly and offered a meeting with the NHS Lothian senior management team to discuss and agree an appropriate care plan, with a focus on ensuring that the right support is in place.

The series of failures in NHS Lothian that has denied children with hearing loss the chance to be identified early and receive hearing therapy and speech and language therapy has been catastrophic for children and families here in Edinburgh. NHS Lothian has never confirmed how many parents or guardians have been contacted or how many of the 23,000 children have been reassessed.

It is unacceptable that families in Edinburgh are having to fight for their children to access health services and the educational support that they need. Will the Scottish Government agree today to all parents and guardians involved being contacted and to children being reassessed urgently, if that is needed? Given the many outstanding concerns that have been raised in inquiries to date, what consideration have ministers given to the need for a public inquiry into the audiology scandal in NHS Lothian and into cases that are being reported in other health boards?

The First Minister:

Miles Briggs asked a number of questions, which I will ensure the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care provides full details on. If we can provide information on the number of families who have been contacted, I will ensure that it is provided to Miles Briggs.

My understanding is that the BAA review ended up stratifying into seven categories the children who were affected. Children who had significant concerns reported were brought in for additional retesting, or additional clinical oversight was given to their case. I will ensure that Miles Briggs is given more information on the stratification and categorisation of all 23,000 children, but I assure him that those who were most seriously impacted—who were at highest risk—were given additional clinical care.

Miles Briggs made an important point about lessons being learned. We have ensured that the lessons from this unacceptable catalogue of failures have been cascaded to health boards across the country. We continue to make sure that our health boards are vigilant about learning lessons from this sorry episode. I will ensure that, if we can provide it, the information about the number of children who have been seen is provided to Miles Briggs.

The issue is that, despite detailed answers, there are parents who continue to feel that they have been missed and struggle to get help. We know that 23,000 children have potentially been affected, but fewer than 2,000 have had a detailed review.

What work is being done to ensure that the sampling techniques that have been used are comprehensive? Do we know the number of children who have yet to be identified on the basis of that sampling? Do we have to look at the period that is covered? Nobody at all from before 2017 has been looked at.

The First Minister:

I will ensure that we give Daniel Johnson full answers in relation to the 23,000 children. My understanding is that the decision was not taken by NHS Lothian, but by the British Academy of Audiology, which designed and conducted the audit.

As I have said, the children were grouped into various categories and those who were at highest risk were given further clinical oversight. If there are parents and families who feel that their child has not had the appropriate level of attention or care, and that they are experiencing significant impacts—or, frankly, any impact—because of that sorry episode, I ask that Daniel Johnson brings them to the attention of the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care and I am sure that he will take it up with NHS Lothian. I am sure that Daniel Johnson has the relevant contact details, but I am more than happy to pass on to him the details for the appropriate individuals in NHS Lothian. I know that they are approaching the matter with the utmost seriousness.