Hospital trust ‘deeply sorry’ for harm to dozens of children

At least 40 children suffered harm – with over 20 cases classed as “moderate or severe” – due to delays while receiving care from a hospital’s audiology department, HSJ  can reveal.

Bedfordshire Hospitals Foundation Trust has identified 109 children who may be at risk of harm due to problems with their hearing aid management, and harm has been identified in at least 40 of them, including developmental delay.

The findings were included in an interim “patient safety incident review” being carried out by the trust and supported by NHS England.

The preliminary findings were published in papers for Luton’s health overview and scrutiny committee last month.

The review follows a major national investigation into harm caused by audiology failings, culminating in the Kingdon review, published in November 2025, which found the NHS ignored warnings on testing failures for a decade.

Bedford’s review is understood to form part of the national improvement programme for paediatric audiology services.

It comes as the sector awaits the Department of Health and Social Care’s response to the Kingdon review, which British Association of Audiology President Claire Benton said she hoped would bring “additional support desperately needed for the system”.

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Source: HSJ, 12 May 2026