Guidelines

Guidelines for Newborn Blood Spot Sampling (February 2012)

The Guidelines for Newborn Blood Spot Sampling aim to support healthcare professionals in obtaining good quality samples and reducing the need for repeat samples.

June 2012 update

The UKNSPC has made a film to support the revised guidelines. 'Taking a newborn blood spot sample' is available in two versions - a full version (11 minutes) and a shorter version that highlights key messages (5 minutes).

DNA screening for transfused babies

Information on DNA screening for transfused babies is available from the NHS Sickle Cell & Thalassaemia Screening Programme.

Health Professional Handbook (December 2012)

The Health Professional Handbook was first produced in 2005 by the Programme Centre's Parent Support Research Team at the Institute of Education, University of London. It is designed to be a reference guide for all health professionals involved in the newborn blood spot screening programme. In particular, it was written to support midwives in communicating with parents about newborn blood spot screening and in collecting high quality blood spots, and to support health visitors in talking to parents about results and supporting families of affected babies.

This 2012 edition of the handbook reflects changes that have occurred in the programme.

Implementation and reporting guidance (April 2005)

The Implementation and reporting guidance (April 2005) is designed to support the implementation of the Policies and Standards for Newborn Blood Spot Screening across the UK.

The guidance aims to provide practical assistance for healthcare professionals as they establish effective screening performance management groups to ensure that the core standards are being met and that an action plan, for continuous improvement, to enable the achievement of the developmental standards, is in place.