The mother of a boy left partially deaf following cancer treatment has praised the support of her local health service, which has received national recognition.

Nicola Staines says she doesn't know what she and her son Farley would have done without the help of Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust's (HRCH) audiology services.

The 11-year-old, who lives in Teddington, was diagnosed with cancer when he was just three and although the disease was successfully treated the drugs left him unable to hear high frequency sounds.

"it's hard to imagine how we would have coped without them."

Health workers at the audiology service, which cares for patients across the boroughs of Hounslow and Richmond , not only provided him with a hearing aid and a special radio aid so he can follow what his teachers are saying. They also worked closely with staff at his school and other professionals to ensure he was able to adjust as well as possible to a life with impaired hearing.

"The audiology service has been brilliant since day one. They monitored his hearing loss during his cancer treatment because they wanted to make sure he was cured of cancer but didn't completely lose his hearing," said Ms Staines.

"Since then they've looked after Farley so well and fitted him with a hearing aid and a radio aid which picks up what his teachers are saying in class via a microphone.

"They didn't just offer support from an audiology point of view. They guided us through the different support available, particularly when it came to his education. It was such a difficult time and it's hard to imagine how we would have coped without them."

HRCH was this autumn awarded IQIPS (Improving Quality in Physiological Services) status, a badge of quality reflecting the fact it is providing deaf children with the very best care in audiology.

It is only the second NHS trust in London and the 14th nationally to receive the official seal of approval for its audiology services, which are based at Teddington Memorial Hospital and the Heart of Hounslow Centre for Health.

The National Deaf Children's Society said the trust had signed up to the scheme voluntarily as the Government no longer assesses the quality of audiology services or offers support to help them improve - despite an NHS support in 2012 showing a third of audiology services were failing deaf children.

The charity is campaigning for membership of the IQIPS scheme to be made mandatory to improve standards of care nationally.

Nicola Ward, NDCS London regional director, said of HRCH's recognition: "This is fantastic news for deaf children and young people in Hounslow and Richmond. As children learn and socialise through hearing, good audiology services can be vital to a deaf child's success in life.

"However, this is only the second NHS trust in London to be accredited for their children's audiology service. I hope other areas in London take up the opportunity so parents of deaf children know that the audiology service their child uses is of a high standard."