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Written question asked by Eddie Hughes (Conservative) on Friday, 10 November 2017, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 14 November 2017. It was answered by Philip Dunne (Conservative) on Monday, 20 November 2017 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Streptococcus: Screening

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to make mothers aware of antenatal screening for the presence of pathogens associated with neonatal sepsis, such as Group B streptococcal disease.

Answer

Following the United Kingdom National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC’s) meeting in February 2017, the Government accepted the UK NSC’s recommendation that a population based screening programme for Group B streptococcal (GBS) carriage should not be offered. This is because there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the benefits to be gained from screening would outweigh the harms.

As screening for GBS is not recommended, data as requested is not collected. The Chief Scientific Advisor has recommended that the National Institute of Health Research should commission a clinical trial to compare universal screening for GBS against usual-risk based care. This is to provide better quality evidence to assess the clinical effectiveness, benefits and harms of a screening programme.

Information on GBS in pregnancy can be found on the NHS Choices which can be accessed here:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/pregnancy-infections.aspx

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
112303
Session
2017-19
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Health education Mothers Screening Streptococcus
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk