June 2017 was a month to remember for a variety of reasons. All government publications were put on hold during the election period, so the PHE Screening blog team was silenced for a while.
However, when restrictions were lifted, the blog articles came thick and fast over the second half of the month.
Here, we recap the 10 blog articles we published during June.
12 June 2017 – Warwick health screening module is exceptional
Hannah Garnett, a local newborn hearing screening programme manager, shared her experience of completing the postgraduate health screening module at Warwick University.
After being awarding the funding by PHE she was able to return to her former student lifestyle for a short 5-day period, staying on campus for the duration. Hannah finishes by describing the course as “exceptional and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough”.
13 June 2017 – Could you support the new screener qualification?
Following last year’s launch of the level 3 Diploma for Health Screeners working in the diabetic eye and abdominal aortic aneurysm programme, April saw the NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme also implement the qualification for non-professionally regulated staff.
This article explains how to become an assessor for the qualification in the form of an ‘expert witness’, who observes a learner’s performance at work and provides evidence to support the assessment process.
14 June 2017 – What GPs need to know about the introduction of primary HPV testing in cervical screening
Evidence has shown that testing for the human papillomavirus (HPV) is a better way of identifying women that are at higher risk of cervical cancer than the existing cytology (smear) test.
This blog article aimed at GPs and primary care describes the plan to implement HPV primary screening in England by 2019.
19 June 2017 – A failsafe officer is for life, not just for Christmas
The antenatal and newborn screening coordinator at Northampton General Hospital, Andrea Coleman, wrote about her responsibilities and the importance of having a good failsafe officer.
She describes her past struggles with data management and the procurement process she undertook to take on a full-time failsafe officer.
22 June 2017 – A day in the life of a newborn hearing screener
Rebecca Cope describes the daily routine of a newborn screener. Her typical day includes:
1) collecting birth notifications
2) updating the SMART4Hearing IT system
3) calibrating the screening equipment
4) ensuring mothers understand the screening we offer
5) attempting to carry out the screen on babies before they leave hospital
… and much more.
23 June 2017 – Checks and audits to improve quality and reduce risks in sickle cell and thalassaemia screening
The sickle cell and thalassaemia (SCT) programme screens pregnant women to find out if they’re at risk of having a baby with sickle cell disease or thalassaemia major.
This blog article outlines why checks are needed and what measures are put in place to make sure local areas have all the help they need.
26 June 2017 – New audio versions of screening leaflets for blind and partially sighted people
We aim to make sure screening is accessible to all eligible populations.
This article explains that we have published audio versions of national patient information screening leaflets to meet the needs of blind and partially sighted people.
27 June 2017 – We’re happy to help: how we’re supporting local services to use NIPE SMART
More than 80% of trusts in England are now using the NIPE SMART IT system for the newborn and infant physical examination (NIPE). The NIPE team is now concentrating on helping users getthe best out of the system.
Following last year’s invitation to contact the team with requests for help, tailored support was provided to meet individual needs.
The main themes for the support visits have been:
- daily/weekly management of the system
- improving KPI data
- reporting and audit
- recording outcome data
- providing a general update on what NIPE SMART can do
28 June 2017 – London QA staff engage with AAA screening providers at regional workshop
This workshop aimed to:
- provide more clarity on clinical skills trainer (CST) roles and responsibilities
- contribute to the competency and training agenda for screening technicians
- give London AAA screening staff engagement and networking opportunities
Outcomes from the workshop included creating a regional induction pack for CST and ultrasound lead roles to complement job plans.
29 June 2017 – Becoming an assessor for new screener qualification has been so rewarding
Jane Starr describes her rewarding new role as an assessor for the Level 3 Diploma for Health Screeners.
She outlines how important is it for an assessor to verify that learners are competent in their roles and refers to what steps she took during her training to do this effectively.
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