Hundreds of families will be offered compensation for issues with Cochlear hearing implants in South Australia.

A review of cochlear implant procedures at Adelaide's Women's and Children's Hospital (WCH) has uncovered systemic issues within the program, dating back nearly two decades.

Earlier this year, the SA Government initiated an independent external review into the hospital's operations to investigate the incorrect programming of cochlear implants in 30 children. These errors are expected to lead to lifelong developmental issues.

In the subsequent report (accessible here), the state government acknowledged that 208 children received care through the program since 2006. However, it remains unclear precisely how many of these children had their cochlear implants incorrectly mapped.

“We know that not less than 30 of those 208 have had an adverse outcome as a result of the mapping services associated with cochlear implants not being administered the way they should have been,” Premier Peter Malinauskas said.

“That potentially means very substantial adverse outcomes for those young children.”

The review uncovered significant gaps, including inadequate processes, policies, competency frameworks for staff, and insufficient clinical training within the program. 

It also revealed that the hospital failed to adequately adhere to incident review policies when initially identifying mapping problems.

The independent external review by consultant Amanda Singleton presents 59 recommendations for WCH, which include increasing staff levels, enhancing staff training, implementing independent assessments of staff skill levels, and developing national minimum standards for implant mapping.

Similar mapping issues with cochlear implants has been identified last month at the Townsville University Hospital in Queensland. Health Minister Chris Picton stated that some of the recommendations from the WCH review have national implications.

The state government has pledged an initial payment of $50,000 to the families of children who were “under-mapped” at WCH. This initial payment does not replace the families' full compensation rights. 

Families of children who were not under-mapped will receive $5,000 in recognition of the stress and impact caused by the situation.

Impacted families will receive a letter today containing the complete report, a summary of findings, and information on how to apply for the payment scheme. 

Premier Malinauskas says his government is committed to preventing such mistakes from recurring.

Opposition health spokesperson Ashton Hurn has called for an immediate check to ensure no other children had slipped through the cracks, stating; “This is so much more than a box-ticking exercise. We need a review that provides clarity to families”.

The WCH has committed over $2 million over four years to bolster the program's staff, and the government has pledged further funding to implement the recommendations. 

Additionally, an extra $1.3 million will be allocated to purchase new equipment for the newborn hearing screening program.