Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress has been made in the further development of guidance by the relevant professional bodies with respect to the role of health professionals in supporting women to make informed choices on antenatal testing for foetal abnormalities.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ current guidance ‘Supporting women and their partners through prenatal screening for Down's syndrome, Edwards' syndrome and Patau's syndrome’ is available at the following link:

https://www.rcog.org.uk/guidance/browse-all-guidance/other-guidelines-and-reports/supporting-women-and-their-partners-through-prenatal-screening-for-downs-syndrome-edwards-syndrome-and-pataus-syndrome/

The guidance states that all women must receive information about antenatal screening tests early in pregnancy before they are asked to make any screening decision. National Health Service staff should ensure that information provided to parents on screening options and the conditions screened for is accessible, accurate and balanced. Women are supported in the personal decision to accept or decline antenatal screening tests and to stop this screening during the care pathway if they wish. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists are developing updated materials, including a ‘Green-top guideline’ and accompanying patient information, which is due for publication in 2025.