Will the Minister list what conditions the Welsh NHS screens for when undertaking a new-born’s blood test, and explain what consideration has been given to increasing the number of conditions considered?
Newborn Bloodspot Screening Wales (NBSW) offers screening for the following conditions:
- Congenital hypothyroidism (CHT)
- Cystic fibrosis (CF)
- Inherited metabolic disorders:
- Glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA1)
- Homocystinuria (HCU)
- Isovaleric acidaemia (IVA)
- Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD)
- Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD)
- Phenylketonuria (PKU)
- Sickle cell disorders (SCD)
Screening for all of these conditions is recommended by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC advises Ministers in the four countries about all aspects of population screening; conditions are reviewed against its evidence criteria. If new evidence emerges that screening for other conditions would be beneficial, then the UK NSC would consider it against its criteria and provide the four countries with rigorous based advice on which we would base policy decisions. The Welsh Government would then look to implement these changes as soon as practicable.