Quality

The NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme has a Quality Assurance (QA) Board to ensure the quality of the hearing care pathway delivered by local services for children.

They aim to achieve this by ensuring that:

• Appropriate commissioning of local health, education and family support services is in place to deliver the local NHSP that adequately meet the needs of deaf and hearing impaired children and their families
• Governance, including arrangements for strategic partnership across services, for all elements of the local programmes is well founded
• All elements of the care pathway are delivered within the parameters of the agreed Quality Standards and in a manner that is consistent with family friendly practice
• A quality improvement culture is an integral component of the governance and performance management processes for the screening and hearing care pathway for children.

The NHSP Quality Assurance Board oversees the QA programme. Membership is varied and includes representation from all provider sectors, parents and voluntary agencies. The QA Board also oversees the risk management activity of the programme centre.