Title:

NHS Newborn Blood Spot (NBS) Screening Programme

Description:

The NHS Newborn Blood Spot Screening Programme screens newborn babies for nine rare but serious conditions:
• sickle cell disease (SCD)
• cystic fibrosis (CF)
• congenital hypothyroidism (CHT)
• phenylketonuria (PKU)
• medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD)
• maple syrup urine disease (MSUD)
• isovaleric acidaemia (IVA)
• glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA1)
• homocystinuria (HCU).

The programme uses a heel prick test to collect spots of blood which are tested to find babies who have one of the conditions. Babies who test positive can then be treated early, improving their health and, in some cases, preventing severe disability or even death.

The modules in this section are for healthcare professionals working in this programme.

© Public Health England Copyright. These are not covered by the Open Government Licence. Contact PHEScreening@phe.gov.uk for all re-use enquiries.

Created:

17 Jan 2017

Last Major Update:

17 Jan 2017

Keywords:

phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism, sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, newborn, pregnancy, maternity, midwives, midwifery, maternity support worker, MSW, neonatal