The mother of a deaf child has praised a screening service for giving her daughter the best possible start in life.

Lacey Quilter's problems were picked up when she was less than two weeks old and a hearing aid was fitted in six weeks.

Her mother Michelle Nethercott said because the deafness was discovered so early, her daughter, now two, has been getting the help she needs and is progressing well.

Ms Nethercott said: "It has been fantastic. Lacey is able to talk and communicate and she enjoys watching TV and doing lots of other activities.

"Her deafness is so severe it is almost off the scale but I am determined she will have a normal life.

"Because we know she is deaf, we have been able to act accordingly and ensure she gets all the help she needs.

"She interacts well with other children. She goes to nursery a couple of times a week to learn to mix and she loves it. She is growing quickly and doing really well."

It was a shock when Lacey was diagnosed as there is no family history of deafness. Ms Nethercott, 22, believes it may be down to problems she experienced when giving birth.

The single mother from Woodingdean, Brighton, said: "It was quite overwhelming. One minute I thought my baby was fine and the next I was told she had severe hearing difficulties.

"But everyone involved in the whole process was absolutely fantastic and gave me all the help I needed."

Brighton and Hove was chosen as a pilot area for the newborn hearing screening programme and started testing babies in July 2002.

The scheme has just gone nationwide and all babies are now routinely screened.

A hand-held machine is inserted into the ear and makes a clicking sound. The machine then picks up on the sound made in response. The process only takes a moment and is carried out by a health visitor.

If the screening is clear, there are no risk factors and the parents are happy, then another test will not be done until the child is five.

If there is a problem, the child is retested at the Morley Street clinic in Brighton or the Hove Polyclinic and, if necessary, referred to an audiological scientist based at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

The screening in Brighton and Hove is run by South Downs Health NHS Trust, which is also responsible for checking babies in Mid Sussex.

Co-ordinator Angela Gendre said: "Brighton and Hove has an annual birthrate of 3,500 and in Mid Sussex it is 1,800.

"The screening used to be only offered to targeted babies such as those with a family history of deafness or who had to have treatment in a special care unit. Brighton and Hove was chosen as a pilot area for routine screening of all newborns from July 2002. We felt health visitors were the best people to do the first test as these are the ones the mother and baby know right from the start.

"It has proved to be very successful as the earlier any problems are picked up, the earlier the babies can get the help they need."