Departments
Screening Programmes
Screening aims to detect disease at an early stage before any symptoms appear. Early diagnosis and treatment of some serious conditions has the potential to save lives and improve quality of life. Although, it should be remembered that screening is not a guarantee of diagnosis or cure.
A number of screening programmes are available in the Southern Health and Social Services Board area. Each programme has been developed on the recommendation of the UK National Screening Committee and is monitored against national or regional quality standards.
- Antenatal Infections Screening
- Newborn Hearing Screening
- Newborn Blood Spot Screening (the heel prick test)
- Breast Screening
- Cervical Screening
Antenatal Infections Screening
A range of blood tests are offered to all pregnant women to look for possible infections which could affect the pregnancy or the baby if not detected and treated. Only one sample of blood is needed to do all four tests, and this is usually taken at the first antenatal visit.
The blood is tested for:
- Immunity to the Rubella virus (sometimes known as German measles)
- Syphilis
- Hepatitis B
- HIV (available from April 2003)
In addition, the blood sample is also used to test
- Full blood count (haemoglobin level)
- Blood group
Before a blood sample is taken, the pregnant woman will be asked to consent to each of these tests. The woman can refuse to consent to any of them, but it is important to remember that they are routine tests which are designed to protect the health of the woman and her baby.
Local monitoring arrangements
Each Trust monitors the offer and uptake of antenatal infections screening. This information is collated at Board and regional level.
Further information
Information on the tests is available in the leaflet Protecting You and Your Baby: Your First Antenatal Visit. This leaflet is also available in a number of translations.
The doctors and midwives at the antenatal clinic will also be happy to answer any questions you may have about any of these tests.
Newborn Hearing Screening
In October 2005, a new screening programme was introduced in Northern Ireland to identify babies who are born with a hearing loss. All babies in the Southern Board are now offered a screening test shortly after birth. In most cases this is carried out before mum leaves hospital with her new baby. The new screening test replaces the 7 month hearing test previously carried out by health visitors.
A small number of babies are born each year with a hearing loss. Early identification is important for the development of the child and means that appropriate support and information can be given to parents at an early stage.
The test is quick, simple and painless and is usually done while the baby is asleep. It is carried out by a trained screener and involves placing a small soft tipped ear piece in the baby’s ear which sends clicking sounds down the ear. When the inner part of the ear receives a sound it usually produces an echo. Using a computer, the screener can see how the baby’s ear responds to the sound.
All pregnant women receive information on the screening programme at their antenatal booking visit.
Parents who have concerns about their child’s hearing at any age, even if they were screened at birth and had clear responses, are advised to contact their GP or health visitor.
Local co-ordinating and monitoring arrangements
A small group, with representatives from relevant professional groups, has been established to ensure the ongoing co-ordination and monitoring of the quality of the screening programme in the Southern Board area. This group is chaired by a Consultant in Public Health Medicine and reports to the Director of Public Health. Members of the group also input to the Regional Steering Group for Newborn Hearing Screening. Quality standards for the screening programme in Northern Ireland are under development.
Further Information
Further information on the national programme is available for parents and professionals. Information on childhood deafness is available from the National Deaf Children’s Society.
Newborn Blood Spot Screening (the heel prick test)
Blood Spot screening has been offered to all newborn babies in Northern Ireland for many years and is often referred to as the ‘heel prick’ test.
The newborn blood spot screening programme aims to identify babies who may have rare but serious conditions. Most babies who are screened will not have any of these conditions, but for the small numbers who do, the benefits of screening are enormous. Early treatment can improve their health and prevent severe disability or even death.
The test involves a simple blood test taken when the baby is about 5 days old. A few drops of blood are taken from the baby’s heel and sent for analysis. In the Southern Board, all samples are tested for 5 rare conditions:
- Phenylketonuria (PKU)
- Congenital Hypothyroidism
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Homocystinuria
- Tyrosinaemia
Information on these conditions and the need for screening is provided to all new mothers.
Local co-ordinating arrangements
In April 2005, the UK Newborn Screening Programme Centre published new guidelines, policies and standards for the screening programme.
A Quality Management Group, with representatives from the relevant professional groups in each Trust, has been established to oversee the implementation and monitoring of these standards in the Southern Board area. This group is chaired by a Consultant in Public Health Medicine and reports to the Director of Public Health. Members of the group also input to a Regional Steering Group.
Monitoring arrangements are being developed which will provide an annual report on the performance of the programme against the national standards, both at Board and regional level.
What’s new?
- During 2005/06, training seminars were provided across the Southern Board area to update midwifery and health visiting staff on the new policies and standards requirements.
Breast Screening
During 2005, TV personality ‘Ma’ helped to promote breast screening to women in the Southern Board area.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women. In the Southern Board area there are around 155 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed each year and during 2004, 63 local women from died from this disease.
Screening can detect breast cancers at a very early stage and, as with many cancers, early diagnosis and prompt treatment gives the best chance of a good outcome.
Screening for breast cancer began in Northern Ireland in 1988. The programme invites all women aged 50-64 who are registered with a GP to be screened every 3 years. The test involves the use of a special X-ray known as a mammogram and aims to identify those women who require further assessment to determine whether they might have cancer.
Women aged 65 years or over are not automatically invited for screening, but can continue to make an appointment through the Breast Screening Unit at Lurgan Hospital (Tel: 028 3834 7083).
More information on breast screening can be found in the leaflet Breast Screening: Your Early Warning System. This leaflet is also available in a number of translations.
Local co-ordinating and monitoring arrangements
The Southern Area Breast Screening Co-ordinating Group is chaired by a Consultant in Public Health Medicine and includes representatives from the relevant professional groups. The group reports to the Director of Public Health and its remit is:
- To advise the Director of Public Health on issues pertaining to the breast screening programme within the Board’s area
- To review and monitor all aspects of the breast screening programme in the Board’s area, including quality assurance and performance against national quality standards
- To co-ordinate activities within the breast screening programme in the Board’s area
- To identify and disseminate examples of good practice and encourage relevant local audits in relation to breast screening
- To prepare such reports as may be requested by the Director of Public Health.
Members of the group also participate in profession specific advisory groups for the screening programme and the Regional Advisory Group for Breast Screening.
Monitoring data for the screening programme in Northern Ireland i published annually by the NI Quality Assurance Reference Centre (QARC).
Uptake figures for breast screening in the Southern Board area can also be found here.
Further information
For further informaiton on breast screening visit the National Breast Screening Programme website or the Northern Ireland Cancer Screening website.
Cervical Screening
In 2004, 6 women from the Southern Board area died from cancer of the cervix.
All women in Northern Ireland aged between 20 and 65 years are offered a cervical smear every 5 years.
It is important to recognise that the smear is not a test for cancer. It is a method of preventing cancer by detecting and treating early abnormalities which, if left untreated, could lead to cancer of the cervix. Like other screening tests, it is not perfect and is not a guarantee of diagnosis or cure. However, in Northern Ireland over half the women who develop cervical cancer have either never had a cervical smear test, or their last smear was more than five years ago.
The best way for a woman to reduce the risk of cancer of the cervix is to ensure that she attends for screening when invited by her GP. If preferred, smears can also be carried out at family planning clinics across the Board’s area. Details of family planning clinics and related services in the Southern Board area can be found here.
More information on the smear test is available in the leaflet A Positive Approach to Your Smear Test
Local co-ordinating and monitoring arrangements
The Southern Area Cervical Screening Co-ordinating Group is chaired by a Consultant in Public Health Medicine and includes representatives from the relevant professional groups. The group reports to the Director of Public Health and its remit is:
- To be responsible for the co-ordination of the Cervical Screening Programme in the Southern Board area.
- To collate evidence of good practice in cervical screening and disseminate this evidence to those involved in the local screening programme.
- To monitor the quality of local screening programme against regional and national quality standards.
- To facilitate regular audit of cervical cytology screening.
- To advise the Director of Public Health on all issues relating to the Cervical Screening Programme.
Members of the group also input to the Regional Advisory Group for Cervical Screening and its subgroups.
Monitoring data for the screening programme in Northern Ireland is collated and published annually by the NI Quality Assurance Reference Centre (QARC).
Uptake figures for cervical screening in the Southern Board area can also be found here.
Further information
Further nformation on cervical screening is available on the National Cervical Screening Programme website or the NI Cancer Screening website.