The following are publications and reports, developed by the NSU for health professionals providing services in or associated with the Universal Newborn Hearing and Early Intervention Programme (UNHSEIP).

Newborn Hearing Screening and Audiology Workforce Strategy and Action Plan

The implementation of the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Early Intervention Programme (UNHSEIP) requires new strategies to recruit and retain personnel, and to ensure that services are delivered at a high level of quality.  The National Screening Unit’s UNHSEIP Workforce Working Group has identified newborn hearing screeners and audiologists as priority groups for workforce development to support the implementation of the UNHSEIP.

This workforce development strategy and action plan (the ‘Strategy’) addresses the development of the newborn hearing screening and audiology workforce required for the implementation of the UNHSEIP over the next three years.  The Ministry of Education is developing a separate strategy for the early intervention workforce.

Newborn Hearing Screening and Audiology Workforce Strategy and Action Plan

 

Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Early Intervention Programme (UNHSEIP) Monitoring Framework

The UNHSEIP is an organised screening programme. An organised screening programme is characterised by planning, co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation of all activities along the screening pathway in order to ensure quality in all parts of the programme.

This Monitoring Framework is a plan for the routine, systematic collection and recording of information about aspects of the programme over time. The purpose is to assess whether progress is being made on achieving the programme objectives.

This Framework covers the entire pathway from newborn screening to audiology assessment to early medical and education intervention services. The framework is centred around the UNHSEIP “1-3-6” goals:

• Newborns to be screened by 1 month of age
• Audiology assessment to be completed by 3 months of age
• Initiation of appropriate medical and audiological services; and Early Intervention education services by 6 months of age.

Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Early Intervention Programme (UNHSEIP) Monitoring Framework