Pregnancy screening standards for chromosomal and health conditions
Document Type
Standards
Summary
Women are offered a range of tests, ultrasound scans and health checks during pregnancy. The national pregnancy and newborn screening programme covers a range of screening tests for specific conditions.
These standards relate to screening during pregnancy for:
- Down’s syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome and Patau’s syndrome
- Eleven conditions screened for at the mid-pregnancy ultrasound scan including, spina bifida and cardiac conditions
Overview of standards
Standard 1: All eligible women are supported to make informed choices about pregnancy screening for fetal chromosomal and health conditions.
Standard 2: NHS boards ensure first line screening is safe, effective and person-centred, with timely reporting of results.
Standard 3: NHS boards ensure non-invasive prenatal testing is safe, effective and person-centred, with timely reporting of results.
Standard 4: NHS boards ensure the mid-pregnancy ultrasound scan is safe, effective and person-centred, with timely reporting of results.
Standard 5: NHS boards ensure prenatal diagnostic testing is safe, effective and person-centred, with timely reporting of results.
Standard 6: NHS boards provide multidisciplinary specialist support and care planning as part of the pregnancy screening pathway.
Standard 7: Laboratory services and processes for pregnancy screening are carried out in line with nationally recognised standards.
These standards are a review of the 2019 Pregnancy screening: Fetal anomaly standards.
The remaining pregnancy and newborn screening standards will be reviewed at a later date and remain current. These are:
- Haemoglobinopathies in pregnancy
- Infectious diseases in pregnancy
- Newborn blood spot screening
- Newborn hearing screening
The pregnancy screening standards are complemented by the core screening standards, which covers:
- Leadership and governance in screening programmes
- Quality assurance
- Screening incident management and reporting
- Staff training and education
- Informed decision making
- Equity in screening