Loss of Hearing Claims

Losing your ability to hear can be devastating: when the ability to communicate is impacted, it can seriously affect your personal and professional life.  In a child, impairment or loss of hearing is very likely to influence their future development of speech, social interaction, education, balance and more.

Given that deafness or partial hearing loss can be life-changing, when it has been caused by something that could have been avoided, it is particularly challenging: we can help. When hearing impairment or loss has been found to have been caused as a result of Clinical Negligence, we can seek compensation for you. How might Clinical Negligence cause hearing impairment or loss?

Failure to diagnose meningitis

Any delay in investigating and treating symptoms of meningitis and/or a failure to introduce antibiotics in a timely manner may cause bilateral hearing loss and inner ear damage which can also affect a person’s balance.  Sensorineural deafness is one of the most prevalent complications of bacterial meningitis.

In cases where symptoms of meningitis are present, antibiotics should be administered immediately – even as a precaution – and the failure to do this can lead to significant harm, including loss of hearing.

People who have suffered from meningitis should also be provided with a hearing test which should be carried out before you are discharged or within at least four weeks of being well enough to have the test.

Perforated ear drum and negligent surgery

During the procedure to repair a perforated ear drum, skin is taken from behind the ear to seal the hole inside the ear.  However, sometimes it may cause further problems – and does not always lead to improvement.  Full and informed consent should be given before any surgery is carried out because if the shape of the ear is altered following the graft, it could affect the fitting of a hearing aid.  Hearing loss can also become worse. If inadequate advice has been given about the surgery, the risks and viable alternatives then a claim may be possible.

Glue ear

Glue ear often follows a cold or ear infection: it is a build-up of fluid behind the eardrum in the middle ear and is most common in children. The build-up of fluid impairs the movement of the ear drum and causes partial deafness. A delay in diagnosing and treating long-term continuing glue ear in children can cause permanent hearing loss.

Common instances of negligence include a failure or a delay in diagnosis leading to permanent hearing damage.

If you or your child has suffered loss of hearing due to clinical negligence, contact us on 03333 057385 or by email to ClinNeg@psg-law.co.uk to find out how we can help you.

Read our Clinical Negligence FAQs