Sudden Cardiac Death: Screening for Young People

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff Excerpts

Monday 5th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

Comparisons of screening programmes with other health systems can be misleading. For example, the programme in Italy operates only in the area around Venice; it is not a national screening programme. The published data is unclear and we have requested further information. Of course, if any programme in the world is really cutting through, we want to know about it. We would love to know more, and we urge the Italians to respond to our request for more information.

[Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (CB)]

I declare that my son is a cardiologist. Following on from the Minister’s comments about the risks associated with false positives, where 30% to 40% of those who had a false positive, even after having been proven not to have particular cardiac risk, have long-term health anxiety and sport avoidance, will the Minister ensure that the national screening committee is also able to consider the importance of defibrillators being available 24/7 on a national database that can be accessed by anyone, of those defibrillators being maintained, and of all young people—that is, those at school, students and those in employment—have training in CPR? There is evidence that immediate CPR when someone collapses with cardiac arrest can be a very effective way of managing it at a relatively low cost.

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I have some experience in the rollout of defibrillators, which is delegated to local areas, and well-meaning groups fundraise and want them in a particular place. Managing and maintaining them properly is paramount, as is training people in how to use them. Understanding them and going through general training, which I think most local authority members have done, is critical. We have so many examples where immediate intervention saves lives. It is a big programme with a huge number of defibrillators—over 110,000 as we speak—but it is life-saving, so it needs to be taken seriously.