When children, young people or adults are not making appropriate progress with hearing aids, please refer to us as we offer all available hearing implant options.
Who can refer
We consider referrals from:
- ear, nose and throat consultants
- audiological physicians
- scientists and technicians
- paediatricians
- speech and language therapists
- teachers of the deaf
- GPs
To proceed with funding, a medical referral is required.
How to refer
To send a referral or request specialist information, please email us using the email addresses in the referrals contacts box on this page.
Referral forms
Referral criteria
Please note that this criteria is for guidance and if you need any more advice about referrals you can contact us directly.
Information about referring to our adult services can be found on the Guy's and St Thomas' website.
Cochlear implant (CI)
- Pure tone audiometric thresholds equal to or greater than 80dB HL at 2 or more frequencies (500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000Hz, 3000Hz and 4000Hz) bilaterally without acoustic hearing aids
- Limited benefit from wearing hearing aids
- Children: do not wait for speech or language delay
- Congenital, acquired, progressive or sudden onset
Auditory brainstem implant (ABI)
- Unsuitable for CI
- Non-neurofibromatosis type 2
- Cochlear nerve aplasia
- Cochlear obliteration (ostosclerosis, ossification)
- Cochlear nerve avulasion (skull base fracture)
Electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS)
- Stable sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL)
- No air-borne gap >15dBHL
- Limited benefit from hearing aids
- No external ear contraindications to wearing an earmould
Middle ear implant (MEI)
- Stable hearing loss
- Inability to wear conventional hearing aids due to medical reasons (for example, chronic otitis media, psoriasis, congenital malformations of ear canal or pinna, allergies, exostoses or furunculosis)
- No retrocochlear or central auditory disorders
Bone conduction implants (BCI)
- Inability to wear conventional hearing aids (for example, chronic otitis media or otitis externa, congenital malformations, otosclerosis, recurrent ear infections due to hearing aid usage)
- Unilateral profound stable sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), with normal BC thresholds in the better hearing ear