Overview
- The Department of Health confirmed on Thursday that England will roll out a national newborn screening evaluation for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) starting in October 2026 with all screening laboratories expected to offer the test by 2027.
- The test will use the routine heel‑prick blood spot taken shortly after birth and will screen hundreds of thousands of babies as part of the evaluation.
- Officials say the evaluation will supply evidence to the UK National Screening Committee about making the test a permanent part of the newborn programme and the Department is seeking additional investment reported at about £5 million to support rollout and lab sequencing.
- Campaigning by Jesy Nelson after her twin daughters were diagnosed and coverage in a new Prime Video documentary helped raise public and political pressure that sources and advocates linked to the decision.
- Early diagnosis matters because treatments such as one‑off gene therapy and other drugs work best when given at or soon after birth, so the change aims to speed access to specialist care and reduce the postcode‑based gaps that left some babies untested.