5:59pm Wednesday 13th August 2008
By Tom Shepherd
Expectant mothers in Oxfordshire will soon be offered free anti-natal screening for Down's Syndrome, the Oxford Mail can reveal.
From October, the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust has pledged to provide nuchal fold screening to all pregnant women in the county, which is 25 per cent more accurate than current tests.
The screening - currently only available at a cost of £185 - is more than 75 per cent accurate and can be carried out four weeks earlier than the 'triple test' paid for by Oxfordshire NHS Primary Care Trust.
Down's is a genetic disorder which affects one in 1,000 babies, although older mothers' children are much more likely to have the condition. An estimated 60,000 people with Down's live in the UK.
Mother-of-five Sonia Denmark, 37, from Blackbird Leys, had the triple test when she was last pregnant, because she could not afford the more expensive scan.
She said: "I would have had the more accurate test if there was no risk to the baby.
"The earlier the test can be carried out the better - it gives parents peace of mind and more time to make a decision."
Royal College of Midwives regional officer Judy Slessar said the National Institute for Clinical Excellence had recommended PCTs fund nuchal fold screening by this April, but only published its official guidance in March.
In a recent survey, she asked 14 hospital trusts in the South of England whether they offered the service. Of the nine that replied, only two did not, one of which was ORH.
Mrs Slessar said: "It appears Oxford is a little behind, but they need funding and space for the screening to take place and new sonographers - that takes time to put in place."
Down's Syndrome Oxford runs activities for children with the condition. Chairman Katharine Horrocks, 44, from Tetsworth, whose three-year-old son Alexander has Down's syndrome, decided against testing for the condition when she was pregnant.
She said: "It's great the test will be free, but it must be seen as a choice and not as routine. Parents must be aware they will have choices to make. It's very hard."
Emily Robinson, 34, from Middle Aston, whose 21-month-old daughter Lucy has Down's, said like the majority of mothers at DSO she, too, had not wanted to know if her baby had the condition.
But she added: "I imagine there are people who didn't have the test, because of the cost, and may have regrets afterwards."
In a joint statement, Oxfordshire PCT and the ORH Trust said: "From March 2008, Oxfordshire PCT made funding available for nuchal fold screening for pregnant women in Oxfordshire.
"Having made the necessary improvements to the department, ORH is keen to provide the service and has been actively trying to recruit the necessary sonographers."
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