The NHS Sickle & Thalassaemia Screening Programme has been set up to implement "… effective and appropriate screening programmes for women and children including a new national linked antenatal and neonatal screening programme for haemoglobinopathy and sickle cell disease by 2004…"

This commitment covers following screening programmes:

Antenatal screening for sickle cell disease and thalassaemia

This aims to allow informed reproductive choice by identifying couples at risk of at affected infant at an early stage in pregnancy. Options include prenatal diagnosis and termination of affected pregnancy as well as continuation of affected pregnancies.

Newborn screening for sickle cell disease

Aims to identify infants with sickle cell disease who are at risk of presenting for the first time with severe overwhelming infections and splenic sequestration crises. Early diagnosis allows prophylaxis with penicillin and vaccines, and parent training to identify children with complications and to present early for treatment which has been found to reduce complications and deaths in young infants.

What are Haemoglobinopathies?

The Haemoglobinopathies are common inherited blood conditions, they mainly affect people who have originated from Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia and the Mediterranean, but are also found in the northern European population.

For further information about the specific disorders please follow links bellow:

Voluntary sector Sickle Cell Society and UK Thalassaemia Society

Diagnostics APoGI - Accessible Publishing of Genetic Information

At present this commitment relates only to England. The timescale for implementation is by 2004 recognising that the complete development of the programme will take more than three years from the start of the planning phase.

The framework for controlled implementation of each screening programme following successful policy assessment is available if you click here.