Job summary
- Main area
- Audiology
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 14 hours per week (including some weekends and bank holidays)
- Job ref
- 210-2025-193
- Employer
- Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Countess of Chester Hospital
- Town
- Chester
- Salary
- £24,071 - £25,674 pa pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 26/03/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Newborn Hearing Screener
Band 3
Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, staff pride themselves on not only leading through clinical excellence, but also by creating an environment where all staff are valued and appreciated. To achieve this, the Trust has embarked on an exciting new strategy focused on continuous improvement.
Our vision is to improve the lives of our community and provide excellence in healthcare, through partnership and innovation
Our High Performance Culture will support everyone to be the best version of themselves by being true to our Trust vision, values and behaviours.
We welcome applications from colleagues from our local and neighbouring communities of all backgrounds and identities, who are currently under-represented within our region such as Black, Asian, Minority ethnic and those with disabilities.
As a region we are reviewing the way we work, and exploring how new working practices that support flexible working can create a positive work-life balance. As part of our recruitment process we will explore how our inclusive employment policies, flexible working, staff engagement forums, Trust facilities and services can be of mutual benefit.
Job overview
Working Part time : 14 hours per week
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated, enthusiastic person to join the Countess of Chester NHS Foundation trust as a Newborn Hearing Screener.
The newborn hearing screening service is a small, friendly and experienced team that provides newborn hearing screening to babies born at the Countess of Chester.
The service also offers screening at out-patient clinics up to the age of 12 weeks. Newborn hearing screening is performed to identify permanent, significant hearing impairment in newborn babies. Early identification can reduce the impact on the development of language, speech and communication skills.
The role is 14 hours per week to be worked flexibly over 7 days. The service offers 7 day a week coverage and therefore there is a requirement to work regular weekends and bank holidays at an enhanced pay rate.
You will be required to undertake a Level 3 Diploma for Health Screeners to become a qualified Newborn Hearing Screener. This is a national qualification which non-professionally regulated staff working in some screening services complete. The Diploma involves a range of written, oral, and practical assessments and must be completed within 12 months of enrolment.
Main duties of the job
1. To identify babies eligible for screening.
2. Offer the automated oto-acoustic emission (AOAE) and/or automated auditory brain response (AABR) screening test and gain informed verbal consent from parents/carers.
3. To carry out the hearing screening of all newborn babies within the trust catchment area. This may be done in the maternity unit, neonatal intensive care unit, and in the community as required.
4. To inform parents of the screen outcome as dictated by local & national NHSP protocols.
5. Refer babies who do not pass the newborn hearing screen to audiology for immediate or targeted followup in a timely manner ensuring parents are aware of the referral and relevant timescales.
6. Liaise with the local audiology team ensuring timely and accurate referral of babies for immediate or targeted follow-up as necessary.
Working for our organisation
The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides services to West Cheshire and to Welsh patients covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Its services are provided from three locations:
• The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 438 general and acute beds.
• Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 56 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility.
• Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.
The Trust employs over 6258 staff (headcount) which includes temporary bank staff and provides acute emergency and elective services, primary care direct access services and obstetric services to a population of approximately 407,000. This includes 357,000 residents in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire which has a population of approximately 50,000.
The Trust is a busy district general hospital and in 2022/2023, there were more than 503,342 patient attendances (inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery. This is an increase of nearly 10,000 compared to the previous year when there were 494,387 patient attendances.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values.
Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £27.50 (standard) or £55.50 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment.
You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16 per year applies.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to GCSE /NVQ Level 3
- Newborn Hearing Qualification (Level 3 Diploma for Health Screeners)
- Completion of screener training and competency assessment
Desirable criteria
- IT Qualification
Knowledge and Experience
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of the newborn hearing screening programme for England and Wales.
- Knowledge of national procedures and protocols
- An understanding of patient confidentiality and Information Governance.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of data inputting
Skills and Abilities
Essential criteria
- Ability to work as part of a team
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Clare Fowler
- Job title
- Newborn Hearing Screening Local Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01244 363008
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