NHS population screening: improving access for people with severe mental illness

This document provides information on how to improve access to screening, for people with severe mental illness residing in mental healthcare settings. It was designed to be used by screening providers and commissioners.  Click here to read further.

NIHR Signal New screening pathway could help to identify a rare, single-gene form of diabetes

A screening pathway using blood and urine tests followed by two genetic (DNA) tests identified all people with a rare subtype of diabetes called monogenic diabetes. The screening pathway performed better than current practice based on age at diagnosis and family history which misses 63%. It is, therefore, a useful approach for ruling out this form of diabetes and probably cheaper overall than offering every young person with diabetes DNA testing.


Monogenic diabetes, caused by a mutation in a single gene can be misdiagnosed as type 1 diabetes, leading to unnecessary insulin treatment. Those recruited for this study were 98% white and tested at an average of 14 years after diagnosis.


From the NIHR Dissemination Centre

Child vision screening guidance updated

Public Health England has updated its guidance on child vision screening. The resources for commissioners and providers include a service specification, competencies, leaflets and template letters.

Newborn hearing screening programme (NHSP) operational guidance

This Public Health England guidance supports healthcare professionals and stakeholders delivering and managing newborn hearing screening programmes in England.

Newborn blood spot screening: code of practice for residual spots

Guidance from Public Health England which Provides the code of practice for the retention and storage of residual spots after newborn blood spot testing.

Diabetic eye screening: approved cameras and settings

This document from Public Health England sets out the NHS diabetic eye screening (DES) programme's recommended cameras and settings for digital DES.

Screening for malnutrition in patients with gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open. 2016 May 4;6(5):e010765. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010765.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether screening for malnutrition using the validated malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST) identifies specific characteristics of patients at risk, in patients with gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (GEP-NET).

CONCLUSIONS: Given the frequency of patients identified at malnutrition risk using MUST in our relatively large and diverse GEP-NET cohort and the clinical implications of detecting malnutrition early, we recommend routine use of malnutrition screening in all patients with GEP-NET, and particularly in patients who are treated with long-acting somatostatin analogues.

UHCW Research: Qureshi SA, Burch N, Hattersley JG, Khan S, Gopalakrishnan K, Darby C, Wong JL, Davies L, Fletcher S, Shatwell W, Sothi S, Randeva HS, Dimitriadis GK and Weickert MO.

Breast screening: women wanting to attend service out of area

This guidance is aimed at breast screening providers and provides advice on dealing with requests from women who ask to be screened outside their area.

Womb natural killer cell discovery could lead to screening for miscarriage risk

eLife (2017). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.31274

For the first time the functions of natural killer cells in the womb have been identified.

Researchers at the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust have discovered the role that they play in preparing the womb for pregnancy.

Although it has long been known that the lining of the womb harbours dynamic uterine natural killer cells, no functions have so far been given to these cells outside of pregnancy.

The new study Clearance of senescent decidual cells by uterine natural killer cells in cycling human endometrium which is published in eLife shows two functions of the cells not previously known.

Breast screening guidance

Public Health England has updated the following guidance:

Breast screening: guidance for breast screening mammographers

Guidance on the mammographic aspects (both clinical and technical) of breast screening QA and the quality control of radiographic procedures.

Breast screening: repeat mammograms
NHS breast screening programme procedures to collect, monitor and report repeat mammographic examinations.

Breast screening: women wanting to attend service out of area

Guidance for breast screening providers on dealing with requests from women who ask to be screened outside their area.

Sickle cell and thalassaemia screening: handbook for laboratories

These documents from Public Health England set out policy and standards for laboratories working with the sickle cell and thalassaemia (SCT) screening programme.  They have recently been updated.

Newborn hearing screening programme (NHSP) operational guidance

This PHE guidance supports healthcare professionals and stakeholders delivering and managing newborn hearing screening programmes in England has been updated.

Breast screening: interval cancers and duty of candour toolkit

Guidance from Public Health England on the role of breast screening and symptomatic services in identifying interval cancer and giving results to female patients.

Screening committee recommends trial of testing babies for SCID

Following a review of the evidence, the independent expert screening committee recommends that screening for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) should be tried for a period of time in the NHS.

SCID refers to a number of rare inherited conditions which affect the development of a baby’s white blood cells – these are an important part of the immune system and make it difficult for babies to fight infections. Around 15 to 25 babies are born with the condition every year in the UK. The treatment is a bone marrow transplant, which can repair the damaged immune system.

The trial period will allow the committee to gather information about the practicalities and likely effect of screening before a final recommendation is made on whether to include SCIDin the NHS newborn bloodspot screening programme.

Healthy Child Record Standard

The Professional Records Standards Body (PRSB) has launched a new set of information standards, to ensure that children receive appropriate care by setting out what information on screening tests, immunisations and developmental milestones should be securely shared for their treatment, care and wellbeing.

Sickle cell and thalassaemia screening: handbook for laboratories

These documents from Public Health England set out policy and standards for laboratories working with the sickle cell and thalassaemia (SCT) screening programme.

Radiation risk with digital mammography in breast screening

This review estimates the risks and benefits of breast screening in terms of number of deaths due to radiation-induced cancers and the number of lives saved due to digital breast screening in the NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP) in England.

WHO guideline on syphilis screening and treatment for pregnant women

Since the publication of the WHO Guidelines for the management of sexually transmitted infections in 2003, changes in the epidemiology of STIs and advancements in prevention, diagnosis and treatment necessitate changes in STI management.

This guideline provides updated recommendations for syphilis screening and treatment for pregnant women based on the most recent evidence and available serologic tests for syphilis

Sickle cell and thalassaemia screening: care pathway

This document from Public Health England describes the sickle cell and thalassamia (SCT) screening pathways.

See also Sickle cell and thalassaemia screening: handbook for laboratories

Supporting women with learning disabilities to access cervical screening

This information, originally developed in North Tyneside, and published by Public Health England, is to support women with learning disabilities to access cervical screening.