Newborn Hearing Screening Programme Update

BAA have been informed that a Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP) modelling tool will soon be sent to all services.

This tool is to enable commissioners to get an accurate picture of the backlog in each NHSP service / site. However, services need to be aware that the tool needs input from both the screening side and an audiology side – the key point really is clean data! Make sure all the audiology data and outcomes from any appointments have been added prior to running the tool.

Some other key points :

• A single return for each NHSP site will need to be completed and sent to the local commissioner (regardless of the number of screening and audiology services)
• The full instructions on how to run / complete the tool will be uploaded onto S4H
• The tool relies on close working between hearing screening and audiology teams – the screening services will run and extract the data, but audiology services will be asked about the status of babies
• It also includes data on 8 month behavioural testing and the tool will ask for estimated dates when the audiology service (as a whole) will be meeting KPI 2 and seeing behavioural tests at their standard age
• It’s not the easiest thing in the world to fill in for audiology, especially if your a big site or got quite a big backlog, so you might need to give yourselves some time to do it

Any queries, once the tools released, should be addressed to the NHSP team at PHE

Thanks to Jason Smalley for this information.