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Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Babies

Asked by Ruth CadburyLabourDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 11 July 2025UIN 65312

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve screening of new born children for Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has been working with partners to scope an in-service evaluation of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in real world National Health Services in the United Kingdom.

The research brief that will inform this in-service evaluation has now been published, and the call for applicants is live.

Results from the in-service evaluation, along with a new SMA screening modelling study, will inform any recommendation made by the UK NSC on whether to screen newborn babies for this condition.

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