Meetings

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to request suggestions for any further sources of information or evidence, in light of the decision of the UK National Screening Committee not to recommend systematic population screening for cardiac conditions associated with SCD in the young following a recent review of evidence.

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to await the outcome of the current review by the UK National Screening Committee into its recommendation in relation to a screening programme for Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) syndrome, expected in December 2019.

The Committee considered further correspondence from the Welsh Government and the petitioner and agreed to:

·         write to the UK National Screening Committee to raise the petitioners’ suggestion that recent evidence is more favourable in relation to the potential benefits of a screening programme for Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) syndrome, and ask whether and when the Committee intends to revisit its consideration of this issue; and

·         write to the British Heart Foundation and the British Cardiovascular Society to seek their views on the issues raised by the petition, and the potential for population screening for undiagnosed heart conditions.

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write back to the Minister for Health and Social Services to ask for details of current Welsh Government and NHS Wales policy and actions in relation to identifying undiagnosed heart conditions amongst young people.