Pregnancy and Newborn Screening Standards

The project began in August 2002 and final standards were published in October 2005. The consultation period for this project has been completed.

 

Joanne Storrar, Project Officer
Tel: 0141 225 6866

To develop standards and a self-assessment framework for national pregnancy and newborn screening programmes in Scotland, and to recommend an external peer review process.

Health Department Letters (HDLs) issued in 2001, recommended that standardised, quality assured and co-ordinated pregnancy and newborn screening programmes should be established with arrangements in place from April 2002. The newborn screening programme was also to be modernised and developed to deliver a more standardised quality assured programme. The subsequent HDL (2001) 51 recommended the introduction of a universal newborn hearing screening programme to detect hearing impairment in babies. The standards are based on the national screening programmes outlined in these HDLs, and cover up to diagnosis only.