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Heart Diseases: Screening

Asked by Steve DarlingLiberal DemocratDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 4 November 2025UIN 85960

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider extending access to cardiac screening to people aged 14 to 35 who participate in sport.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening and which supports implementation.

The UK NSC last reviewed screening for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in people under the age of 39 years old in 2019 and concluded that population screening should not be offered. Further information is available at the following link:

https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/sudden-cardiac-death/

The UK NSC is currently examining the evidence for SCD screening and will open a public consultation to seek comments from members of the public and stakeholders on this in due course.

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