BAPA Annual Conference 2026

Sabarinath Vijayakumar, ST5 Audiovestibular Medicine, Royal Derby Hospitals

The BAPA Annual Conference 2026 was held virtually on 30 January 2026 and was attended by over 70 delegates from across the world. Participants mainly comprised consultant audiovestibular physicians, consultant paediatricians, paediatric audiologists and trainees in audiovestibular medicine. The programme featured several high-quality academic lectures and the meeting was academically enriching, offering valuable clinical insights as well as perspectives on service development in paediatric audiology. 

The morning plenary session was chaired by Rakesh Tailor, and the afternoon plenary session was chaired by Shankar Rangan, both of whom facilitated engaging academic discussions and international knowledge exchange. 

Morning session  

Joanna Jarvis (consultant clinical geneticist, Birmingham Women’s Hospital) discussed molecular testing in children with hearing loss, outlining current genetic testing pathways and the clinical utility of next-generation sequencing panels. She emphasised genotype–phenotype correlations, syndromic identification and the role of genetics in prognosis, counselling and management decisions, including cochlear implantation and surveillance for associated conditions. 

Leanne Barrett (genetic counsellor, Great Ormond Street Hospital) addressed genetic counselling in paediatric hearing loss, highlighting family-centred communication, consent and management of uncertainty in genomic results. She discussed supporting families through diagnostic journeys and integrating genetic findings into multidisciplinary care and long-term planning. 

Veronica Kennedy (consultant audio-vestibular physician, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust) presented a child-friendly approach to tinnitus counselling, emphasising age-appropriate explanations, normalisation and coping strategies. Practical tools such as sound enrichment, attention refocusing and family education were highlighted to reduce distress and improve functional outcomes in children with tinnitus. 

Alison Worsley (NDCS / Deaf Child Worldwide), Anushri Patel (paediatric audiologist and audiology advisor, NDCS), Liz Sidell (head of policy and influencing – International, NDCS), Emma Papakyriakou (involvement and engagement lead, NDCS), Simon Want (head of policy and influencing – England, NDCS) and Hazel Badjie (head of policy and influencing – Wales, NDCS) highlighted the central role of family partnership and lived experience in paediatric hearing services. Their '10 Principles' framework emphasises early identification, communication development, multidisciplinary collaboration and developmental monitoring. Meaningful involvement of deaf children and families was presented as essential to equitable service design. 

Afternoon session 

Waheeda Pagarkar (consultant audiovestibular physician, UCLH and Great Ormond Street Hospital) provided a practical framework for paediatric vestibular assessment integrating developmental milestones with bedside vestibular examination. She reviewed gait and postural testing, eye-head coordination and simple clinic tools such as rotational chair testing and head-shaking nystagmus. Indications and age feasibility of vHIT, VEMPs and calorics for detecting vestibular asymmetry were outlined. 

Professor Soumit Dasgupta (consultant neurotologist and audiovestibular physician, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital) discussed vestibular screening in infants with permanent childhood hearing impairment, noting vestibular deficits in up to half of congenital sensorineural hearing loss. Targeted screening between six months and two years was recommended based on vestibulo-ocular reflex maturation and motor development. Cervical VEMP and remote-camera vHIT were highlighted as feasible tools, with absent responses most reliable given evolving norms. 

Debbie Cane (audiology lecturer and senior clinical scientist, University of Manchester) addressed paediatric vestibular rehabilitation, outlining mechanisms of adaptation, habituation, substitution and sensory integration. Rehabilitation should target gaze stability, balance, gait and spatial-cognitive function using individualised, play-based programmes. Functional participation and motor learning through meaningful activities were emphasised. 

This was followed by three prize-winning audit presentations pertaining to the paediatric audiology specialty.  

Sabarinath Vijayakumar (specialty trainee in audiovestibular medicine, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust) presented an audit of hearing difficulties in children referred with speech concerns to paediatric audiology. Among 101 children referred over a two-month period, none were found to have hearing loss, highlighting potential over-referral. He outlined the referral pathway and described a revised pathway introduced by the paediatric audiology service to optimise referrals for children with isolated speech concerns. 

Natallia Khartyaniuk (specialty trainee in audiovestibular medicine, UCLH Paediatrics) presented a survey of clinicians’ experience regarding paediatric patient and caregiver attitudes towards hearing aids in the UK, noting that a significant proportion of families decline hearing aids at diagnosis and emphasising the importance of early multidisciplinary involvement, improved counselling and education, as well as sustained support to address stigma and non-compliance.  

Shobha Rajagopal (specialty trainee in audiovestibular medicine, UCLH Paediatrics) discussed management of ototoxicity in non-NHSP Auditory Brainstem Response referral pathways and highlighted ongoing variation in ototoxicity monitoring and referral processes, underscoring the need for standardised national guidance and consistent long-term follow-up. 

Overall, the conference provided an excellent platform for international academic exchange and showcased current advances, challenges and audit-driven improvements in paediatric audiology and vestibular care.