HIQA advises on approaches for considering the expansion of the Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has published a report on approaches for considering the expansion of newborn bloodspot screening programmes. This report was provided to the National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC) to help inform the development of their processes for the assessment of conditions being considered for inclusion in Ireland’s National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme (NNBSP).

The NNBSP provides newborn bloodspot screening (the ‘heel prick test’), within the first 72 to 120 hours of life. The current NNBSP screens for eight conditions and each year the NNBSP identifies approximately 110 babies in Ireland with one of these conditions. In 2020, the NSAC recommended the addition of a ninth condition to the programme, and, following the approval of this recommendation by the Minister for Health, the HSE has been making arrangements for its inclusion.