The Impact of the National Newborn Hearing Screening Programme on Educational Services in England

This article presents results related to the impact on educational support services of the introduction of the first phase of the national Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP) in England. This study was funded by the Department of Health and undertaken as one element of a national evaluation of NHSP across a range of domains. It presents results from a qualitative study of 27 educational services before and after the implementation of NHSP. Key themes were identified and analysed using QSR NU* DIST 4. The analysis used case and cross case perspectives. The key areas identified included links between services, inter-agency working, changes in working practice, funding and resource implications and the perceived opportunities of NHSP. It considers the political context within which NHSP was introduced, including a range of government initiatives that sought to directly influence working practice. The results will have implications for those professionals responsible for offering support to families of early-identified deaf infants. Copyright (C) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.