Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the age limits on each of the NHS screening programmes and the justification for each limit.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
All National screening programmes are introduced based on recommendations made by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC assesses and evaluates the evidence to offer screening when it will offer more good than harm. Screening age ranges are selected based on the range where the evidence supports that balance.
The National Health Service breast screening programme invites eligible women to be screened every three years from the age of 50 up to their 71st birthday.
The NHS bowel screening programme invited men and women every two years from ages 60 to 74 years old. The programme is expanding to make it available to everyone aged 50 to 59 years old. This is happening gradually over four years and started in April 2021.
The NHS cervical screening programme invites people with a cervix between the ages of 25 and 49 for screening every three years, whilst people aged 50 to 64 receive an invitation every five years.
The NHS abdominal aortic aneurysm screening programme offers men a screening the year they turn 65.
The NHS diabetic eye screening programme is offered to anyone with diabetes who is 12 years old or over. Those eligible are invited for an annual screening.
The NHS targeted lung cancer screening programme that has been recently announced will invite people aged 55 to 74 identified as being at high risk of lung cancer for screening.
For antenatal screening programmes, pregnant women are invited early for screening once the pregnancy has been confirmed. This includes the NHS foetal anomaly screening programme and NHS infectious diseases in pregnancy.
Screening for newborns is also offered early at a time when conditions can be detected and where early treatment can improve the baby’s health and prevent severe disability or even death. Newborn screening programmes include the NHS newborn blood spot screening programme, the NHS newborn hearing screening programme, the NHS newborn and infant physical examination screening programme and the NHS sickle cell and thalassaemia screening programme.
Mentions:
1: Janet Daby (Lab - Lewisham East) in writing, to do his best, and to also attend the all-party parliamentary group on sickle cell and thalassaemia - Speech Link
Jun. 15 2023
Source Page: Q2 KPI Screening Data (1 July to 30 September)Found: (NBS) screening programme, NHS newborn hearing screening programme (NHSP), and NHS sickle cell and thalassaemia
Feb. 06 2024
Source Page: Public Health Outcomes Framework: February 2024 data updateFound: Updated England Region No additional breakdown All ages Yes OHID C24k - Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the withdrawal of Bluebird Bio from the (a) UK and (b) European market on access to gene therapy treatment for people with (i) beta thalassemia and (ii) cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy.
Answered by Will Quince
No assessment has been made of the potential impact of the withdrawal of Bluebird Bio from the United Kingdom and European markets on access to gene therapy treatment for people with beta thalassemia and cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy. NHS England continues to make cost-effective treatments available to patients in England as determined by NICE’s technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies programmes.
Mentions:
1: Janet Daby (LAB - Lewisham East) This week I was delighted to be reselected as the chair of sickle cell and thalassaemia all-party parliamentary - Speech Link
Nov. 26 2008
Source Page: Maternity services dataset development: data items. Version 0.24a. 110p.Found: DECLINED TO ANSWERAntenatal Sickle Cell/Thalassaemia Screening Family Origin: To carry details of family
Jul. 14 2023
Source Page: Managing safety incidents in NHS screening programmesFound: newborn screening Infectious diseases in pregnancy screening Fetal anomaly screening Sickle cell and thalassaemia
Mar. 23 2023
Source Page: Q1 (1 April to 30 June 2022) ANNB and YPA screening KPI dataFound: timeliness of antenatal screening The proportion of pregnant women having antenatal sickle cell and thalassaemia
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase awareness of Sickle Cell amongst healthcare professionals outside of London.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
No assessment has been made. NHS England and Health Education England (HEE) have invested in raising awareness of sickle cell disease amongst medical staff. NHS England’s Health Inequalities improvement team launched a sickle cell awareness campaign ‘Can you tell it’s sickle cell’ in June 2022 and continues to promote and monitor its reach. A sickle cell disorder e-learning resource has also been developed and is now available across the National Health Service.
There have been recent improvements to the haematology medical curriculum, with understanding sickle cell and thalassaemia now described in the curriculum as core competencies. HEE has additionally held discussions with the Royal Colleges of Pathology and Physicians to ensure that this curriculum is deliverable across all four nations, in line with General Medical Council standards.
In addition to the above e-learning, HEE now provides two ‘e-Learning for healthcare’ programmes with sickle cell content, NHS Screening Programmes, including the Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Screening Programme and the Maternity Support Worker Programme.