UK NSC launches evaluation to build evidence for expanding newborn blood spot screening

In January 2026, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) introduced EquipoISE, a new evaluation framework designed to support the potential expansion of the NHS Newborn Blood Spot (NBS) Screening Programme to include multiple additional rare conditions. The existing NBS programme tests newborns using a heel-prick blood spot taken around five days after birth to screen for around ten serious but treatable conditions such as sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, and congenital hypothyroidism.

EquipoISE is proposed as a rolling multi-condition in-service evaluation (ISE) embedded within the current screening pathway. It would allow systematic assessment of promising candidate conditions by collecting and analysing data on test performance, clinical outcomes, and implementation impacts in real NHS settings. A key ambition is to explore how genetic screening tests could be incorporated alongside traditional biomarker approaches. 

The UK NSC plans to work with expert partners and stakeholders as the project progresses, and will share updates through its publications. If evaluations under EquipoISE demonstrate benefit and feasibility for a specific condition, that condition could then be considered for formal inclusion in the national newborn screening programme.

See full details here.

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