This report outlines the work undertaken by Antenatal Screening Wales (ASW) from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024. This summary report highlights the achievements of the team and provides an opportunity for reflection. It illustrates the wide variety of work carried out for the eight antenatal screening programmes and demonstrates collaborative working with colleagues across Wales.
Antenatal Screening Wales was formed following a request by Welsh Government to establish policies, standards and a performance management framework for antenatal screening delivered by maternity services in Wales. Health boards are responsible for delivering screening in line with the policies, standards and protocols as part of routine antenatal care.
The report covers the work streams carried out by the Team in line with the ASW Operational Plan.
All health boards in Wales have adopted ASW policies, standards and protocols for antenatal screening. This enables women in Wales access to services that are working to best practice and ensures an equitable antenatal screening service. Following the yearlong review of the Policy, Standards and Protocols, the updated version was published on the 14 August 2023. Supplementary resources were updated in line with the standards and protocols review. These include pre and post test written information for service users, Midwives Handbook, Information for women where there has been a demised twin (vanished twin) and existing e learning packages.
It details the work to scope and develop the introduction of cell free fetal DNA screening to the Blood Group and Antibodies Programme for the eligible pregnant population. This was a large project involving multidisciplinary working from colleagues in all health boards in Wales. Resources developed or amended for the implementation include:
Wales was the first UK nation to implement noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) as a three year evaluative rollout. The findings of the evaluation were published within this reporting period. Recommendations from the evaluative rollout are now incorporated into ‘business as normal’.
There was development of a number of e-learning resources to support health professionals who deliver the antenatal screening programme within Wales. The resources developed included –
ASW has continued to monitor performance of the Programmes by audit of:
Development work is underway to scope the introduction of the abdominal circumference measurement within the anomaly scan for all Health Boards in Wales with a suggested implementation of October 2024.
The introduction of surveillance of cases of HIV and syphilis was implemented in January 2024. Collecting and reporting on screening outcome data for both the conditions in pregnancy will assess the impact of the conditions in Wales. This will lead to recommendations being made locally and nationally, strengthening policy and practice, and improving care for mothers and their children within Wales.
ASW worked in partnership with health boards to implement ‘Digital First’ for the provision of antenatal screening public information, with formal transition across Wales since September 2022. The implementation of Digital First proved successful. ASW continues to improve digital information for both service users and health professionals.
Working across organisational boundaries and with the dedication and support of stakeholders, service providers including every health board in Wales, ASW have continued to ensure consistency and stability of the antenatal screening programme often in a challenging environment where there are many competing priorities.