Virtual Hui for Newborn Hearing Screening Workforce – 11 May 2021
A national virtual hui for the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Early Intervention Programme (UNHSEIP) will be held on Tuesday 11th May 2021 for DHB screening staff.
This is the first time that this event will be held online, and it will allow staff across the country to come together to build relationships, learn and connect, whilst minimising any disruption to travel plans that could be posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The screening programme marked its 10th anniversary in 2020, however screening staff were unable to celebrate this event due to COVID-19. The 2021 virtual hui will provide a valuable opportunity for screening team members to:
- celebrate and acknowledge the positive impact the programme has had for many newborn tamariki and their family/whānau over the last 10 years
- deepen an understanding of equity, and learn practical strategies that can reduce barriers to families participating in the screening pathway
- learn from others who have improved local service delivery to improve outcomes, and
- hear from screening experts about new and emerging evidence that could support better professional practice for screening teams.
As the hui will be held during New Zealand Sign Language week (May 10–16), there will be opportunities throughout the day for screeners to learn some basic NZ sign language to support more effective communications with parents and caretakers of newborn babies.
To find out more about the hui please visit the National Screening Unit (NSU) website UNHSEIP Virtual Hui – 11th May 2021.
All screeners have been strongly encouraged to register for the event before 30th April and audiologists have also been invited attend. We intend to record the hui to ensure that those interested and not participating on the day also have an opportunity to hear our speakers. Further information about the recording will be posted on the NSU website after the hui has been held.
UNHSEIP aims to identify newborn babies with moderate to severe hearing loss early so they can get the help they need as soon as possible to enable their language, learning and social development. Each year over it’s estimated that between 135 and 170 babies are born in New Zealand with mild to profound permanent congenital hearing loss.
For more information about the hui please contact Rachael Bayliss, Senior Advisor, Antenatal & Newborn Screening Programmes team, National Screening Unit, Population Health and Prevention, Ministry of Health, [email protected].