When the coronavirus pandemic first hit the UK, thousands of surgical procedures were put on hold.

For a surgeon like me who performs operations on deaf children to restore their hearing, this created a significant moral dilemma — I wanted to get back into surgery to provide this vital care, but I didn’t want to inadvertently catch or pass on COVID-19 in the process.

I regularly carry out cochlear implant surgery, a process in which a surgeon embeds an electronic device which stimulates the hearing nerve in the ear.

The scientific evidence is clear that this surgery needs to be performed at the earliest opportunity so that these children can benefit from being able to hear at a vital stage in their development.