Newborn Hearing Screener

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job description

Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) is the biggest employer in Nottingham with over 19,000 staff.

Main area: Newborn Hearing Screening
Grade: Band 3
Contract: 12 months (Fixed Term to cover Maternity Leave)
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 164-6831027-A

Site: Cross Site City Hospital and Queens Medical Centre
Town: Nottingham
Salary: £24,071 - £25,674 pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 20/02/2025 23:59

Job overview

Nottingham Newborn Hearing Screening service is seeking a competent, motivated and reliable individual to work as a dedicated newborn hearing screener within our maternity and family health service at Nottingham University Hospitals. The candidate will work as part of the NHSP team performing Newborn Hearing Screens. This post will involve direct handling of Newborn babies so experience of handling babies is essential.

This role will be based cross site at both City hospital and QMC campus and includes bank holiday and weekend working. You would work as part of a team altering working patterns to accommodate the changing needs of the service, across 7 days a week, 365 days a year with regular working during weekends (Saturdays and Sundays), bank and public holidays.

Main duties of the job

The role involves the hearing screening of Newborn babies using specialised equipment, and this includes collecting accurate clinical test records and undertaking data entry using computer and administrative skills. Therefore IT, excellent verbal and written communication skills with meticulous attention to detail and confidentiality are essential. The role also requires the ability to prioritise workload with constantly changing demands.

As a Newborn hearing screener, you will be committed to delivering a high quality of care to meet the National Public Health England (PHE) quality assurance standards, local policies and procedures, to ensure the service reaches key performance indicator deadlines.

If you do not have an OSCE/ECA in Newborn Hearing Screening it is a requirement of this post that candidates undertake relevant e-learning, OSCE (objective structured clinical examination) and a work based level 3 Health Screening diploma; you must also be willing to attend regular study days held in Leicester. The Level 3 Diploma for health screeners (Newborn Hearing) qualification is a national qualification for all screening staff working within the NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP).

A condition of this post is that the successful candidate commit to 2 years employment with the service otherwise the diploma fee must be repaid.

Working for our organisation

Our organisation is a leading teaching hospital providing care for approximately 8500 births annually. We are a caring, supportive and dedicated team and are part of the Maternity Antenatal and Newborn Screening Service (ANNB).

The Newborn Hearing Screening team currently consists of 1 Band 6 Manager, 1 Band 4 Senior hearing screener and 7 Band 3 newborn hearing screeners. We are a small, supportive and caring team, so a strong commitment to flexible and co-operative team working is essential.

The screening staff has offices at City and QMC, and work on the Labour suites, Maternity wards, Neonatal units and Children's wards. Several outpatient clinics are held each week, and the staff work very closely with NICU staff, Midwives, Health Visitors, Medical Physics, Audiology, Paediatricians, Child health, administrators, parents and caregivers.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please familiarise yourself with the full Job Description and Person Specification documents attached to this advert.

Newborn hearing screening is performed to identify permanent, moderate, severe and profound deafness and hearing impairment in newborn babies. Early identification gives the babies a better chance of developing language, speech and communication skills. Newborn hearing screening is offered to all babies in England ideally in the first 4 weeks after they are born.

The post holder will be required to deliver safe, quality and efficient care to babies and their families, whilst developing key skills, abilities and experience as a Newborn Hearing Screener. Following appropriate training and within indirect supervision you will identify and screen babies complying with national and local protocols, and Trust and Public Health England policies, ensuring effective communication between the multidisciplinary team and the parents.

The post holder will be required to:

1. Identify eligible new-borns to be screened via a National failsafe.
2. Obtain verbal consent and perform the hearing screen on all babies using automated, technical equipment.
3. Identify and report faulty equipment, ensuring equipment is safety checked, properly charged and appropriately secured.
4. Collect clinical and test records and undertake data entry using several patient management systems.
5. Support a family centred culture, ensuring no screens are missed and that any early discharges, home births and out of area babies are identified.
6. Generate appointments for babies leaving hospital without a hearing screening performed within the National timescales (Key Performance Indicator).
7. Maintain a clean and safe environment, adhere to infection control and prevention policies.
8. Monitor stock control and ensure the safety and security of test equipment.
9. Undertake mandatory training.
10. Awareness of boundaries within the role and recognise personal development needs.

Person specification

Training and Qualifications

• 4 GCSE or equivalent qualifications including English and Mathematics, or evidence of competency gained through experience.
• Evidence of recent learning.
• Commitment to personal development.
• Knowledge and understanding of newborn screening.
• NVQ/QCF level 3 in Healthcare/NNEB.
• Knowledge of patient management systems.

Experience

• Experience of working with babies and mothers.
• Experience of multi-agency working.
• Awareness of patient confidentiality and data protection.
• Computer literacy, with the ability to use a variety of IT programmes.
• Ability to work autonomously and under pressure.
• Experience of administrative team working in a clinical environment.
• Experience in database handling.
• Experience of hospital systems such as Careflow and Badgernet.
• Experience of working within a hospital ward setting.

Communication and relationship skills

• Ability to convey written and verbal information accurately.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Is open to suggestions, ideas and new working practices.
• Ability to work flexibly and cooperatively as part of a team, and help others within the team.
• Evidence of listening, communication and counselling skills.

Analytical and Judgement skills

• Understand the importance of instructions and written policies and procedures.
• Ability to interpret information with different levels of complexity.
• Able to gather information, recognising and reporting changes.

Planning and organisation skills

• Manage time effectively, using initiative and paying attention to detail.
• Able to organise work schedule within deadlines.
• Give constant and stable performance under pressure.
• Demonstrate an awareness of the importance of prompt timekeeping and good attendance at the workplace.
• Under indirect supervision, accurately manage and maintain patient records.

Physical skills

• All appointments are subject to satisfactory medical clearance and the ability to cope with the demands of the role.
• Sustained concentration when inputting patient data for accuracy.
• Using screening equipment and standing whilst screening babies.

Other requirements specific to the role

• Flexible approach to work arrangements.
• Positive attitude towards equal opportunities.
• Ability to work under pressure to reach key performance indicators.
• To work cross site between City and QMC to cover a 7 day service.

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Come and join our wonderful team at NUH. We are big believers in diversity and welcome new ideas to help develop our team in order to deliver world class healthcare to the vast patient populations we serve. With endless personal development opportunities available, at the NUH we will endeavour to turn your job into a career!

We particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, or Disabled, as we are striving to be better represented at NUH.

Applicants are kindly requested to refrain from using AI at any stage during the recruitment process.

Closing Dates: Please submit your application form as soon as possible to avoid disappointment; we reserve the right to close vacancies prior to the published closing date if we receive a sufficient number of completed application forms.

Communication: All communication related to your application will be via the email address you have provided. Please ensure you check your email account including your junk email regularly.

NUH are now able to offer application completion support and interview preparation support. Please follow the link to book onto our sessions: Support for NUH Job Applications.

If you are aged 16 or 17 and applying for a role that is more than 20 hours a week, please be aware that you will be asked to commence an Apprenticeship within the Trust alongside your role, as long as there is a suitable apprenticeship standard available.

Salary: The quoted salary will be on a pro rata basis for part time workers.

Disability Confidence: All applicants who have declared a disability and who meet the essential criteria for the post will be shortlisted.

At Risk of redundancy: NHS employees within the East Midlands who are ‘at risk’ of redundancy will be given a preferential interview where they meet the essential criteria of the person specification.

ID and Right to work checks: NUH authenticate ID and right to work documentation including passports and driving licenses through a system called Trust ID.

Consent:

• Transfer of information: If I have previous NHS service - I consent to the transfer of my Electronic Staff Record (ESR) data between this and other NHS Trusts. I also consent to the Occupational Health Department confidentially accessing my occupational health records from my current or previous employer in order to check the status of my vaccinations, immunisations and screening tests as relevant to the post.
• Disclosure and Barring Service: Your post may be subject to a DBS check which incur a cost depending on the level of check required (£42.90 for enhanced and £22.90 for standard). I agree to reimburse Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust the cost of a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if it is required (by deduction from first month’s pay).

For more information about our organisation and the career opportunities available, please visit our website and/or follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.