Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP)

About one to two babies per 1,000 births are born with a hearing loss that will affect their social and language development.  Early screening means that if a baby has a hearing loss the parents can receive the information and support they need at an early stage.

The Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP) was commissioned by the Department of Health to implement newborn hearing screening throughout England; from March 2006 all eligible babies born in England have been offered the screen.

Newborn hearing screening might take place in a variety of settings, including hospital, the baby’s home, clinic or surgery. It involves the use of specific equipment and liaison with parents, health professionals and other staff, in particular the midwifery and health visiting teams. The hearing screen is offered either in hospital prior to discharge home (75% of NHSP screening sites) or by the health visitor at about 10 days of age (25% of NHSP screening sites). Screening would usually take place while the baby is settled or in natural sleep.

Mothers are given the National Screening Booklet, by community teams, during the antenatal period. Please contact us if the screening booklets do not give you enough information.

Screening methods

Two screening methods are used -:

Automated Oto-Acoustic Emissions (AOAEs)

A small, soft-tipped earpiece is placed in the baby’s outer ear and soft clicking sounds are played. When an ear receives sound, the cochlea produces a sound in response. These responses can be picked up by the tiny microphone earpiece.

Automated Auditory Brainstem Responses (AABRs)

Specially designed baby headphones deliver quiet clicking sounds. Responses from the baby’s hearing nerve can be picked up via three small sensors that are placed on the baby’s head and neck.

Babies referred from the hearing screening programme should be seen for a full audiological assessment within four weeks of the screen's completion. If they are under 40 week’s gestation we try to delay the diagnostic assessment until this time, but would liaise with the parents to try to avoid too much anxiety.