Babies: Screening

(asked on 20th October 2014) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost would be of immediately screening all newborn babies for MCAD deficiency.


Answered by
Dan Poulter Portrait
Dan Poulter
This question was answered on 27th October 2014

This information is not held centrally. All newborn babies are screened currently for four serious but rare conditions, including Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD). This is part of the postnatal pathway and is paid for as part of the Maternity Pathway Payment (MPP). The cost for screening MCADD is not identified separately within the MPP.

The NHS Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme in England routinely offers newborn screening for phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism, sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis and MCADD. Newborn screening in England is offered between 5 and 8 days after the baby is born. The midwife takes a small sample of blood droplets from the baby’s heel for testing on a blood spot card.

With early detection further diagnostic testing and early treatment can then be provided and avoid any unnecessary wait and help improve and prevent severe disability.

The UK National Screening Committee have recommended extending the newborn bloodspot screening programme in 2015 to include screening for maple syrup urine disease, homocystinuria, glutaric acidaemia type 1 and isovaleric acidaemia.

Reticulating Splines