About Us

The UK National Screening Committee and NHS Screening Programmes have become part of Public Health England, an executive agency of the Department of Health.

Public Health England has been established to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing and to reduce inequalities. It will lead on the development of a 21st-century health and wellbeing service, supporting local authorities and the NHS to deliver the greatest possible improvements in public health. It came into being in April 2013. For all corporate information please see www.gov.uk/phe

The programme has responsibility for developing, implementing and maintaining a high quality, uniform screening programme for all newborn babies and their parents.

The UK National Screening Committee recommends that all babies in the UK are offered screening for phenylketonuria (PKU), congenital hypothyroidism (CHT), sickle cell disease (SCD), cystic fibrosis (CF) and medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD). Some UK-wide programme variation exists, which is explained further in the UK comparison chart.

Information for parents, including details of all the conditions screened for by this programme, can be found on the Public pages.