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Indicator

The proportion of babies with a 'not suspected' result for all the conditions tested for by newborn blood spot testing who have a results letter sent to their parents directly from the child health information service (CHIS) within 6 weeks of birth.

Indicator type

Network / system level indicator.

The indicator would be appropriate to understand and report on the performance of networks or systems of providers.

This document does not represent formal NICE guidance. For a full list of NICE indicators, see our menu of indicators.

To find out how to use indicators and how we develop them, see our NICE indicator process guide.

Rationale

The newborn blood spot (NBS) screening programme enables early identification, referral and treatment of babies with 9 rare but serious conditions. Conveying 'not suspected' NBS screening results in a timely manner to parents will minimise anxiety.

Source guidance

Postnatal care. NICE guideline NG194 (2021), recommendation 1.3.8

Specification

Numerator: The number of babies in the denominator who have a results letter sent to their parents directly from the CHIS within 6 weeks of birth.

Denominator: The number of babies with a 'not suspected' result for all the conditions tested for by newborn blood spot testing recorded on CHISS within 6 weeks of birth.

Calculation: Numerator divided by the denominator, multiplied by 100.

Exclusions: Babies who:

  • have a condition suspected or carrier result for any of the conditions tested for

  • have a status code that denotes a declined condition, a repeat required or screening incomplete

  • are covered by a CHIS that does not send results letters directly to parents (for example the results are communicated by health visitors instead).

Data source: NHS Newborn blood spot screening programme.

Minimum population: The indicator would be appropriate to understand and report on the performance of networks or systems of providers.

ISBN: 978-1-4731-5557-2