Newborn Hearing Screener

The Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP) aims to screen the hearing of all newborn babies to enable the identification of children with permanent hearing impairment as early as possible.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are essential and preferably experience of working with young babies and their families &/or working in a health or care setting. Administrative tasks form part of this role - you will need to be confident learning/using IT systems and using the telephone.

As a Newborn Hearing Screener you will have responsibility for screening newborn babies, using automated equipment, following the national Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP) screening protocols. (Specialist training will be provided).

You will identify babies eligible for screening on a daily basis, provide information to parents about screening, undertake daily quality checks on all equipment, carry out the screening and communicate the results. Records will then be accurately updated in the national IT database and hospital systems. Administrative tasks, involving telephone & IT systems/software, also form a core part of the role to ensure all eligible babies are offered and complete screening in nationally agreed time scales.

You will often be the only screener working on a busy postnatal ward so will require the ability to work independently. You will need to be well organised and methodical, able to prioritise your own workload and work well under pressure.

Join us at UHSussex, every day is different, you can be the change, better never stops

At UHSx we’re proud to be at the heart of the NHS. As one of the UK’s largest acute Trusts, we’re a leading example of the excellence, the ambition and the values that have embodied the NHS for over 70 years.

**Improving lives**: We are a vibrant and inclusive organisation, with hardworking, talented and dedicated individuals, who work together towards a common goal, to always put our Patient First. Our mission is summed up by our ‘where better never stops’ motto and no matter the role at UHSussex, you will play a part in driving us forwards and in improving the lives of patients across Sussex. We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We’re here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our wellbeing programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.

**Build a career with us**: As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSx you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. Identify on a daily basis babies born who are eligible for newborn hearing screening.
2. Undertake screening of newborn babies within national and local protocols using automated equipment without direct supervision on maternity, special care baby unit, at clinic sites and occasionally in patient’s homes.
3. Follow clinical protocols to ensure that NHSP meets national standards and recommended procedures
4. To pro-actively track patients to ensure that patients reach each step of their pathway within the nationally defined timescales.
5. To use multiple clinical information systems and databases to understand and coordinate patients pathways and communicate this to colleagues.
6. Organise workload to cover postnatal ward and Special Care Baby unit/Neonatal Intensive care unit ensuring as many babies as possible have completed screening prior to discharge from hospital
7. Participate in self-development to continually improve performance and undertake development activities that are identified.
8. Promote and ensure efficient delivery of high quality screening, endorsing a family friendly approach to care.

Please see Job Description and Person Specification for full details.