Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust is proud to share that its maternity team has been recognised at the Health Tech Newspaper (HTN) Now Awards, taking home the Best Solution for Community Care award.
The accolade, which celebrates healthcare innovations, acknowledges the Trust’s work alongside NEC Software Solutions to tackle health inequalities in newborn hearing screening for migrant families.
Hearing loss in newborns can profoundly affect speech, language, and social development, and early detection is vital. However, migrant families often face systemic barriers.
To help support families and overcome these limitations, The Newborn Hearing Screening Inequality Improvement Project was launched, using innovative protocols, cultural training and collaborative working to ensure every baby, regardless of background, received timely screening.
Over five years, the initiative achieved zero missed appointments for refugee babies and met the national coverage target of 95%, setting a benchmark for inclusive community care.
Rosemary Idiaghe, Director of Midwifery at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said: “This project has focused on ensuring equitable access and an improvement in uptake for all families, while actively identifying and removing barriers to care.
“The team’s dedication and tireless efforts have made a meaningful difference to the community we serve, and this recognition is so richly deserved. I couldn’t be prouder of what the team have achieved.”