Newborn Hearing Screener

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 09 May 2025

Job summary

An exciting part time vacancy has arisen in the Newborn Hearing Screening Service, which is part of the Maternity Department of the Royal Berkshire NHS Trust. This is a fantastic opportunity to join our established team of dedicated Newborn Hearing Screeners working on busy postnatal maternity wards and in outpatient clinics.

We are looking for fully qualified/experienced newborn hearing screeners who are caring, motivated, conscientious individuals with a flexible, adaptable approach. Good communication and interpersonal skills are required and experience of working in a hospital environment and baby handling skills are desirable. The post requires being able to work well as part of a team and also on your own initiative. You must be methodical and well organised and it is essential for you to be able to prioritise your own workload to ensure that all babies are screened. You must be able to remain calm when under pressure as you will frequently be required to cover busy postnatal wards and clinics alone. An adaptable approach to the role aspects is essential.

Main duties of the job

Qualified to GSCE Grade C standard (or equivalent) in Maths & English is a minimal requirement, good computer skills are essential and deaf awareness would also be an advantage.

Flexible Working Hours: Part-time 2 days per week (15 hours) over 7 days a week on a rota basis.

Hours are worked as 7.5 hour shifts. Standard shifts are from 08.00-16.00.

**This is a 7 day per week service, 364 days per year and shift patterns are dependent on service needs.

Service cover is over 7 days a week and some weekend and bank holiday working is required of all post-holders. It is essential that you are able to be flexible and available to work any of these shifts on any day. As you will be required to travel to outreach clinics in the Berkshire area, a full clean driving license is required as well as access to a vehicle.

About us

The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is the main provider of hospital services for the population of Reading, Newbury, Wokingham and the towns and villages of west Berkshire.

Reading sits on the River Thames and is served by great road and rail links to London, Oxford, and Southampton. With excellent leisure and shopping facilities, and a thriving cultural scene, Reading is a wonderful place to live, work, and play and provides excellent facilities for families, including some of the best state and private schools in the UK.

The CQC recently rated the care provided by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust as Good.

Our values: Compassionate, Aspirational, Resourceful, Excellent, reflect the type of Trust we aspire to be and you can join our dedicated and talented staff to make this happen.

At our heart we are a local hospital that works with NHS and social care partners to provide excellent healthcare services for over 500,000 people who currently live in our catchment area. We also provide specialist hospital services beyond the county's borders.

We employ more than 5,500 staff from 39 different nationalities and deliver care from a network of facilities across sites in Bracknell, Henley-on-Thames, Reading, Thatcham and Windsor

Date posted

01 May 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,625 to £25,674 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

193-7155600UCGB3-NEWHEAR

Job locations

Royal Berkshire Hospital, Maternity Department

Craven Road

Reading

RG1 5AN

Job description

Job responsibilities

Based in the Maternity Unit of the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, the team provides hearing screening to all babies born in the Berkshire area. The service is a comprehensive national programme and the role involves explaining and performing screening tests and imparting results to families, as well as accurately entering data into the National Screening database and liaising with other healthcare professionals. Our service helps identify babies who may have a hearing loss, so that they can be referred for further testing and receive the appropriate early intervention where appropriate.

You will be a fully qualified and experienced Hearing Screener; this involves direct contact with babies and parents alongside annual computer based e-learning and clinical assessment.

To work as a member of the Newborn Hearing Screening team, as the health professional performing newborn hearing screens in a hospital setting, recording and collecting data and liaising with parents, health professionals,other stakeholders and the Newborn Hearing Screening Manager as appropriate. The post will involve direct handling of newborn babies and contact with parents.

Interviews will be conducted in person. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Please see the Job Description, person specification and working conditions for full details and requirements.

Job description

Job responsibilities

You will be a fully qualified and experienced Hearing Screener; this involves direct contact with babies and parents alongside annual computer based e-learning and clinical assessment.

Interviews will be conducted in person. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Please see the Job Description, person specification and working conditions for full details and requirements.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

GCSE grade C or equivalent or above in English and Maths

Desirable

Completion of the NHSP e-learning modules
NVQ level 3 Diploma in Newborn Hearing Screening

Experience

Essential

6 months experience in the health care sector (within the previous 5 years)

Desirable

Previous experience of NHSP
Basic knowledge of anatomy and physiology of the auditory system

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

GCSE grade C or equivalent or above in English and Maths

Desirable

Completion of the NHSP e-learning modules
NVQ level 3 Diploma in Newborn Hearing Screening

Experience

Essential

6 months experience in the health care sector (within the previous 5 years)

Desirable

Previous experience of NHSP
Basic knowledge of anatomy and physiology of the auditory system

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.