Professor Sean Daly:

The most common structural abnormality is cardiac. Dr. Paul Oslizlok, the most senior cardiologist in Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, reckons that approximately 50% of major congenital heart disease is unrecognised before birth. That puts those babies at significant risk. The provision of ultrasound to diagnose cardiac defects is problematic worldwide. The UK, which has structural scanning, has set up an anomaly register. There used to be anomaly registers in various places in the UK. Interestingly, there was none in London. Now there is a national register. Every baby identified with a significant anomaly will be registered and followed. Units will be identified that are not diagnosing, for example, heart defects. That is an opportunity to have additional training.

If one element could oversee this situation, it would be an anomaly register. We could then identify areas in the country where more resources and training were required.