After birth, your baby will be offered several different types of health assessments. If you have any concerns about the screenings, speak to your midwife, health visitor or GP.
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Newborn and Infant Physical Examination (NIPE)
- Whilst in hospital, you should have been be offered an initial full physical examination. The NIPE is a more detailed examination of your newborn's eyes, heart, hips and in boys, their testes. This examination is repeated by your GP when your baby is between six and eight weeks of age, as some conditions do not develop or become visible until then.
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Newborn blood spot screening
When your baby is 5 days old, they will be offered a newborn blood spot screening (also known as the 'heel prick' test). A blood sample from your baby鈥檚 foot will be used to find out if your baby has any of the following rare but serious health conditions:
- Sickle cell disease
- Cystic fibrosis
- Congenital hypothyroidism
- Inherited metabolic disorders: - phenylketonuria (PKU) - medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD) - maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) - isovaleric acidaemia (IVA) - glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA1) - homocystinuria (pyridoxine unresponsive) (HCU)- Hereditary Tyrosinaemia Type 1 (HT1)听听
for more information on these health conditions
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Newborn hearing screening
A听 hearing screening apportionment will be offered to your baby during the first 4 weeks following the birth, you will be invited to attend a clinic appointment. Ideally, the screening test should be done in the first 4听 weeks, but it can be done at any time, up to 3 months of age. The screen will be completed by maternity care assistants, nurses or other health professionals who have completed specialist training.
A baby screened under the 'well baby protocol' has a 1 to 2 in 1000 chance of having a permanent hearing loss in one or both ears. For a well baby screen, a screener will complete an AOAE screen. The AOAE (Automated Otoacoustic Emission) takes a few minutes. A small soft tipped earpiece is placed in your baby鈥檚 ear and soft clicking sounds are played. When an ear receives sound, the inner part (called the cochlea) responds and this can be picked up by the screening equipment.
It is not always possible to get clear responses from the first screening test. This does not necessarily mean your baby has a hearing loss. It can mean:
- your baby was unsettled when the test was done
- there was background noise
- your baby has fluid or a temporary blockage in their ear 鈥� this is very common and passes with time
- your baby has a hearing loss
In these cases, your baby will be offered another screening test. This will be the same as the first screen but has to be completed at least 5 hours after the first screen. If a no clear response is not obtained second time around, then another type of screen called an AABR (Automated Auditory Brainstem Response) will be offered.听
This involves 3 small sensors being placed on your baby鈥檚 forehead, back of the neck and shoulder. Soft headphones are placed over your baby鈥檚 ears and soft clicking sounds are played. The screening equipment will be able to tell if your baby鈥檚 hearing nerve responds to the sounds. If a no clear response is obtained at AABR, then a referral to audiology is completed for diagnostic testing. Audiology will be able to determine if your baby has a hearing loss or not.
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To read more about screenings for you and your baby, visit GOV.UK for and .
