Antenatal and newborn screening KPI data: Q3 summary factsheets (1 October to 31 December 2021)
Updated 23 March 2023
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-screening-programmes-kpi-reports-2021-to-2022/antenatal-and-newborn-screening-kpi-data-q3-summary-factsheets-1-october-to-31-december-2021
Please be aware that this data covers the time through the COVID-19 pandemic. Provider performance should therefore be interpreted with caution.
In addition to this, some providers were justifiably not able to make timely data returns or validate their data in this period. We recommend looking at the historical trend data of services before the COVID-19 pandemic to help interpret the data.
This report should be read in conjunction with the full key performance indicator (KPI) data tables published each quarter.
1. Fetal anomaly screening
1.1 KPI FA2: coverage: fetal anomaly ultrasound
National performance of FA2 in Q2 2021 to 2022 was 99.2%, slightly higher than the previous quarter. FA2 is collected 6 months (2 quarters) in arrears. The trend graph below shows that England FA2 performance has remained above the achievable threshold of 95% since 1 April 2017.
All screening services who submitted data (137 out of 142) met the acceptable threshold of 90%, with 134 meeting the achievable threshold of 95% and 29 of them reporting performance of 100%.
Quarter 2 performance
| Reporting period | 1 July to 30 September 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 131,036 |
| Denominator | 132,051 |
| Performance | 99.2% |
| Completeness of data | 96.5% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 99.4% |
| Midlands and East | 99.3% |
| North | 99.3% |
| South | 98.8% |
| England | 99.2% |
1.2 KPI FA3
There is no intention to publish FA3 by individual maternity service. We are reviewing the data with the aim of publishing it nationally in the future.
In Q3 137 out of 142 screening services submitted data.
1.3 KPI FA4: combined samples
FA4 was introduced in 2020 to 2021. New KPIs are not published in the first year of data collection. This time is used to improve the data quality and completeness, by revising the definition, adding clarity and / or setting thresholds as required.
In Q3 2021 to 2022, national performance of FA4 for inadequate combined samples was 3.1%. FA4 is a KPI where a lower performance is better.
21 out of 22 FASP laboratories submitted data, for a total of 133 out of 141 maternity services.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 3,186 |
| Denominator | 102,348 |
| Performance | 3.1% |
| Completeness of data | 95.5% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 1.1% |
| Midlands and East | 3.6% |
| North | 4.9% |
| South | 2.8% |
| England | 3.1% |
1.4 KPI FA4: quadruple samples
FA4 was introduced in 2020 to 2021. New KPIs are not published in the first year of data collection. This time is used to improve the data quality and completeness, by revising the definition, adding clarity and / or setting thresholds as required.
In Q3 2021 to 2022, national performance of FA4 for inadequate quadruple samples was 7.2%. FA4 is a KPI where a lower performance is better.
21 out of 22 FASP laboratories submitted data, for a total of 133 out of 141 maternity services.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 851 |
| Denominator | 11,840 |
| Performance | 7.2% |
| Completeness of data | 95.5% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 3.2% |
| Midlands and East | 7.0% |
| North | 8.7% |
| South | 9.5% |
| England | 7.2% |
2. Infectious diseases in pregnancy screening
2.1 KPI ID1: HIV coverage
National performance of ID1 in Q3 was 99.8%, remaining at the highest ever level recorded for this KPI. The trend graph below shows that England ID1 performance has remained above the achievable threshold of 99% since 1 April 2018.
Out of all screening services who submitted data (139 out of 142) 138 met the achievable threshold of 99%, and 26 of them reported performance of 100%.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 157,914 |
| Denominator | 158,246 |
| Performance | 99.8% |
| Completeness of data | 97.9% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 99.9% |
| Midlands and East | 99.8% |
| North | 99.8% |
| South | 99.7% |
| England | 99.8% |
2.2 KPI ID2: diagnosis/intervention: timely assessment of women with hepatitis B
National performance of ID2 in Q3 was 84.3%. The trend graph below shows that England ID2 performance has remained above the acceptable threshold of 70% since 1 April 2018.
All screening services who submitted data (140 out of 142), including 46 services that reported zero women. Of the remaining 94 services, 75 met the acceptable threshold. ID2 is a small number KPI, therefore the data should be interpreted with caution.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 166 |
| Denominator | 197 |
| Performance | 84.3% |
| Completeness of data | 98.6% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 85.9% |
| Midlands and East | 75.9% |
| North | 85.1% |
| South | 93.8% |
| England | 84.3% |
2.3 KPI ID3: coverage: hepatitis B
National performance of ID3 in Q3 was 99.8%, the same as the previous quarter. The trend graph below shows that England ID3 performance has remained above the achievable threshold of 99% since 1 April 2018.
Out of all screening services who submitted data (139 out of 142) 138 met the achievable threshold of 99%, and 27 of them reported performance of 100%.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 157,917 |
| Denominator | 158,243 |
| Performance | 99.8% |
| Completeness of data | 97.9% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 99.9% |
| Midlands and East | 99.8% |
| North | 99.8% |
| South | 99.7% |
| England | 99.8% |
2.4 KPI ID4: coverage: syphilis
National performance of ID4 in Q3 was 99.8%, the same as the previous quarter. The trend graph below shows that England ID4 performance has remained above the achievable threshold of 99% since 1 April 2018.
Out of all screening services who submitted data (139 out of 142) 138 met the achievable threshold of 99%, and 27 of them reported performance of 100%.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 157,915 |
| Denominator | 158,240 |
| Performance | 99.8% |
| Completeness of data | 97.9% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 99.9% |
| Midlands and East | 99.8% |
| North | 99.8% |
| South | 99.7% |
| England | 99.8% |
3. Sickle cell and thalassaemia screening
3.1 KPI ST1: coverage: antenatal screening
National performance of ST1 in Q3 was 99.7%. The trend graph below shows that England ST1 performance has remained above the achievable threshold of 99% since 1 April 2018.
All screening services who submitted data (139 out of 142) met the acceptable threshold of 95%. 134 screening services reached the achievable threshold of 99%, and 29 of them reported performance of 100%.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 157,904 |
| Denominator | 158,307 |
| Performance | 99.7% |
| Completeness of data | 97.9% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 99.9% |
| Midlands and East | 99.7% |
| North | 99.7% |
| South | 99.7% |
| England | 99.7% |
3.2 KPI ST2: test: timeliness of antenatal screening
National performance of ST2 in Q3 was 58.5%, higher than the previous quarter. The trend graph below shows that England ST2 performance dropped below the acceptable threshold of 50% for Q1 and Q2 of 2020 to 2021 but has been back above the acceptable threshold in every quarter since then.
Data suggests that while services were maintained, performance was affected for this KPI during COVID-19 in 2020. This is not unexpected as technical guidance in place at the time stated that services could offer screening later than 10 weeks.
136 out of 142 screening services submitted data for this KPI for Q2.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 91,735 |
| Denominator | 156,710 |
| Performance | 58.5% |
| Completeness of data | 95.8% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 56.1% |
| Midlands and East | 54.4% |
| North | 62.4% |
| South | 62.0% |
| England | 58.5% |
3.3 KPI ST3: test: completion of family origin questionnaire (FOQ)
National performance of ST3 in Q3 was 97.8%, higher than the previous quarter. The trend graph below shows that England ST3 performance has remained above the acceptable threshold of 95% since 1 April 2018.
Of the 139 (out of 142) screening services who submitted data, 123 met the acceptable threshold of 95% and 57 of them reached the achievable threshold of 99%, including 22 who reported performance of 100%.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 158,045 |
| Denominator | 161,642 |
| Performance | 97.8% |
| Completeness of data | 97.9% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 99.3% |
| Midlands and East | 97.9% |
| North | 97.0% |
| South | 97.1% |
| England | 97.8% |
3.4 KPI ST4a: referral: timely offer of prenatal diagnosis (PND) to women at risk of having an infant with sickle cell disease or thalassaemia
National performance of ST4a in Q3 was 45.1%, lower than the previous 3 quarters. The trend graph below shows England ST4a performance since the KPI was first published in Q1 2019 to 2020. Thresholds have not yet been set for this KPI.
140 out of 142 screening services submitted data, including 60 services that reported zero women at risk.
We have identified quality issues with the submitted data, therefore we recommend that regional performance is not compared. NHS England and NHS Improvement are reviewing this KPI with the aim of improving data quality.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 209 |
| Denominator | 463 |
| Performance | 45.1% |
| Completeness of data | 98.6% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 41.2% |
| Midlands and East | 45.5% |
| North | 53.9% |
| South | 51.9% |
| England | 45.1% |
3.5 KPI ST4b: referral: timely offer of prenatal diagnosis (PND) to couples at risk of having an infant with sickle cell disease or thalassaemia
National performance of ST4b in Q3 was 69.8%, lower than the previous quarter. The trend graph below shows England ST4b performance since the KPI was first published in Q1 2019 to 2020. Thresholds have not yet been set for this KPI.
140 out of 142 screening services submitted data, including 55 services that reported zero couples at risk.
We have identified quality issues with the submitted data, therefore we recommend that regional performance is not compared. NHS England and NHS Improvement are reviewing this KPI with the aim of improving data quality.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 194 |
| Denominator | 278 |
| Performance | 69.8% |
| Completeness of data | 98.6% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 68.3% |
| Midlands and East | 61.4% |
| North | 75.0% |
| South | 86.7% |
| England | 69.8% |
4. Newborn blood spot screening
4.1 KPI NB1: coverage of clinical commissioning group (CCG) responsibility at birth
National performance of NB1 in Q3 was 97.1%, lower than the previous quarter. The trend graph below shows that England NB1 performance has remained above the acceptable threshold of 95% since 1 April 2018.
On April 1 2021, 38 CCGs merged creating 9 new ones, resulting in a total of 106 CCGs in England. In Q3, all 106 CCGs submitted data for NB1, and 88 met the acceptable threshold of 95%.
33 CCGs reached the achievable threshold of 99%, and 2 of them reported performance of 100%.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 141,902 |
| Denominator | 146,192 |
| Performance | 97.1% |
| Completeness of data | 100% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 95.5% |
| Midlands and East | 98.6% |
| North | 96.4% |
| South | 97.2% |
| England | 97.1% |
4.2 KPI NB2: test: quality of the blood spot sample
National performance of NB2 in Q3 was 2.3%, lower than the previous quarter. The trend graph below shows that England NB2 performance is above the acceptable threshold of 2%. NB2 is a KPI where a lower performance is better.
Due to COVID-19, during the Q1 (April to June 2020) time period newborn screening laboratories were instructed to relax blood spot acceptance criteria on samples that would normally have been rejected and to accept day 4 samples. Together these factors are likely to explain the reduced ‘avoidable repeat’ rate observed during Q1 2020 to 2021.
140 out of 142 screening services submitted data, 71 met the acceptable threshold and 25 met the achievable threshold of 1%.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 3,544 |
| Denominator | 154,808 |
| Performance | 2.3% |
| Completeness of data | 98.6% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 1.9% |
| Midlands and East | 1.6% |
| North | 2.8% |
| South | 3.0% |
| England | 2.3% |
4.3 KPI NB4: coverage of movers in
National performance of NB4 in Q3 was 80.8%, the lowest ever level recorded for this KPI. The trend graph below shows that England NB4 performance has remained below the acceptable threshold of 95% since 1 April 2018.
On April 1 2021, 38 CCGs merged creating 9 new ones, resulting in a total of 106 CCGs in England. In Q2, all 106 CCGs submitted data for NB4, and 18 met the acceptable threshold of 95%.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 10,091 |
| Denominator | 12,496 |
| Performance | 80.8% |
| Completeness of data | 100% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 69.0% |
| Midlands and East | 83.9% |
| North | 85.1% |
| South | 84.3% |
| England | 80.8% |
5. Newborn hearing screening
5.1 KPI NH1: coverage
National performance of NH1 in Q3 was 98.0%, lower than the previous 3 quarters. The trend graph below shows that England NH1 performance has met the acceptable threshold of 98% since Q4 2020 to 2021.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 NHSP encouraged services to continue screening where safe to do so in line with national standards and the NHSP technical guidance. However, in some areas screening was delayed due to COVID-19 and we have seen lower coverage as a result. This particularly affected community services where Health Visitors suspended home visits.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 147,562 |
| Denominator | 150,553 |
| Performance | 98.0% |
| Completeness of data | 100% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 97.7% |
| Midlands and East | 98.6% |
| North | 97.5% |
| South | 98.1% |
| England | 98.0% |
5.2 KPI NH2: diagnosis/intervention – time from screening outcome to attendance at an audiological assessment appointment
National performance of NH2 in Q3 was 87.7%, lower than the previous 3 quarters and below the acceptable threshold of 90%. The trend graph below shows that England NH2 performance dropped significantly in Q4 2019 to 2020 and Q1 2020 to 2021, however since then it has risen again.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in line with national guidance, many audiology departments closed. This resulted in a delay in the assessment of babies referred from the screen in most services.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 2,962 |
| Denominator | 3,379 |
| Performance | 87.7% |
| Completeness of data | 100% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 85.9% |
| Midlands and East | 88.0% |
| North | 86.5% |
| South | 91.8% |
| England | 87.7% |
6. Newborn and infant physical examination screening
6.1 KPI NP1: coverage
National performance of NP1 in Q3 was 96.4%, lower than the previous 5 quarters. The trend graph below shows that England NP1 performance has remained above the acceptable threshold of 95% since 1 April 2018.
Out of 130 screening services, 114 met the acceptable threshold. 46 services met the achievable threshold of 97.5%.
Quarter 3 performance
| Reporting period | 1 October to 31 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Numerator | 145,786 |
| Denominator | 151,299 |
| Performance | 96.4% |
| Completeness of data | 100% |
| Region | Performance % |
|---|---|
| London | 96.4% |
| Midlands and East | 96.7% |
| North | 95.7% |
| South | 96.7% |
| England | 96.4% |
6.2 KPI NP3: diagnosis/intervention – timeliness of ultrasound scan of the hips for developmental dysplasia
NP3 was introduced in 2021 to 2022. New KPIs are not published in the first year of data collection. This time is used to improve the data quality and completeness, by revising the definition, adding clarity and / or setting thresholds as required. After this time, NHSEI will review the data with the aim of publishing it from the following year.