Sudden Cardiac Death (Young People)

The Scottish Government, like all United Kingdom nations, follows the UK National Screening Committee’s recommendations. I recognise the important work being done by organisations such as Cardiac Risk in the Young and the DH9 Foundation to raise awareness of cardiac risk in young people.

Although the National Screening Committee has said that it recognises the devastating impact of sudden cardiac death, its most recent review found that evidence did not support the introduction of population screening. My predecessor wrote to the committee to ask whether it planned to review that recommendation; it is now doing so and its conclusions will be published.

Although there is no formal national screening programme, guidance from the network for inherited cardiac conditions Scotland supports the assessment of families after a sudden cardiac death, including, where appropriate, genetic screening of first-degree relatives. We will continue to work with the network to ensure fair and timely access to testing across Scotland, including through the national sudden cardiac death project.

First, I give my heartfelt condolences to Ally and Melanie on the loss of their daughter Ebony. I can only imagine how devastating the impact of her loss has been. I am more than happy to commit to meeting them, and I am keen to implement throughout the country any learning that NHS Highland can share in relation to Ebony’s care.

I will write to Jackie Baillie on her question about AI.

It is important that we remember that we are talking about population-level screening. Although I absolutely understand the desire for a screening programme and I guarantee that, if evidence is found to support one, Scotland will waste no time in implementing it, we must recognise that all population-level screening has the potential to do harm as well as good.

It is vital that our interventions in Scotland continue to be evidence led. That is why we follow the guidance of the UK National Screening Committee, which plays a vital role in ensuring that screening programmes genuinely improve outcomes. We must let its review progress independently.