Hereditary Diseases: Babies
Commons · Question 118632 · Tabled 6 Mar 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care · Official record
Answered 16 Mar 2026
Question
Asked by Freddie van Mierlo
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has assessed the potential merits of introducing measures to accelerate the roll-out of new newborn screening programmes for genetic diseases.
Answer
Answered by Sharon Hodgson, 16 Mar 2026
NHS England is currently planning a large-scale in-service evaluation (ISE) of screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which is a genetic condition, in newborn screening services to start in January 2027. Over 400,000 babies would be offered screenin...