§ Mr. ChopeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information his Department has given to(a) health authorities and (b) NHS trusts about plans to roll out the Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening pilot project; and what advice he has given about the time scale for preparing for the roll out; [158647]
(2) what the timetable is for the national implementation of the Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening project. [158648]
§ Yvette CooperIn October 2000, the Department issued comprehensive information packs inviting health authorities to bid to join the Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening (UNHS) pilot. A national survey of the readiness of National Health Service trusts to deliver the service was also carried out. This is being used to inform decisions on the first phase of implementation.
Close communication has been maintained with all health authorities and NHS trusts taking part in the pilot. In addition, the Institute of Hearing Research has been commissioned to maintain an open access website giving details of the pilot methodology, progress on site and plans for the next stage.
The time scale for the national roll out will depend on the evaluative data from the pilot.