The Children’s Heart Federation (chfed.org.uk) have been campaigning for all babies to receive the Pulse Oximetry test at birth to detect Congenital Heart Disease. This quick, painless and cheap test measures oxygen levels in blood and can detect over 90% of critical heart defects in newborns.

The UK National Screening Committee has now recommended the use of Pulse Oximetry Screening on newborns and has announced today there will be a national pilot.  Here are links to the announcement:

http://www.chfed.org.uk/babies-are-set-to-receive-heart-test-to-save-lives/

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-national-screening-committee-recommends-new-test-for-newborn-babies-with-heart-disease

The announcement is receiving some media interest and has appeared on the Telegraph online:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10813377/All-newborns-to-undergo-heart-tests.html