A PROJECT to test the hearing of newborn babies in East Lancashire has been declared a success by health professionals.

Both the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General Hospitals have been taking part in a national programme designed to ensure more effective diagnosis of hearing difficulties from an early age.

Today such tests are carried out on 98 per cent of infants born in East Lancashire - and they have led to immediate treatment being offered to families within days of a problem being detected.

Just over 210 referrals were made to the audiology departments at the two hospitals last year. Of these, three babies were found to have a confirmed hearing loss in both ears, with one offered a cochlear implant and the other two remaining under review.

Another five babies had hearing loss in one ear and are also being reviewed, while a further eight cases are still awaiting diagnosis.

Thirteen babies were found to suffer from a condition known as otitis media with effusion (OME) - this involves fluid collecting in the middle ear without signs of an ear infection.

While this can cause ear discomfort and temporary hearing loss it does usually clear within the first few weeks of a baby's life.

The currently-identified cases remain under review as part of the programme.

In 2006 more than 6,800 hearing screening tests were offered at hospitals in Blackburn and Burnley.

Only 0.1 per cent of parents declined to take the test, citing either religious beliefs' or the fact that their previous children had not been tested and still enjoyed good hearing.

But the hearing programme work does not cease when the babies and parents leave the hospital setting.

Gillian Mullaney, project manager for the hearing screening programme, said: "Both Lancashire County Council's early years team and Blackburn with Darwen's teachers of hearing impaired children attend clinic visits regula-ly with the children and their families for multidisciplinary clinic visits.

" This enables parents to discuss the finding after the visit and demonstrates to parents and carers how education and health work together.

"Lancashire provides an on-call rota for school holidays although Blackburn with Darwen are not able to provide this as yet.

"Both areas are able to provide a weekly (during school terms) pre-school playgroup for hearing impaired children and their families."

The service operates 365 days a year and was funded by the Government up to March 2006 - but there are now service level agreements with East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen primary care trusts (PCTs) that they should continue.