Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I am fully committed to supporting our population screening programmes which are a valuable part of our health service, enabling early treatment and care for many people, and improving the overall health of our population.

It is important to be aware that any decisions about changes to our national screening programmes, such as screening for familial hypercholesterolaemia, will be made on the advice of our National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC). This independent expert group considers and assesses evidence in a robust and transparent manner, and against internationally accepted criteria. It is important we have rigorous processes in place to ensure our screening programmes are effective, quality assured and operating to safe standards, and that the benefits of screening outweigh the harms.

A number of conditions, including familial hypercholesterolaemia, are undergoing active consideration by NSAC. The Committee also published its Work Programme on its website, setting out the proposals currently being considered.

It may of interest to note that the National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services commenced in January 2018 under the Chairmanship of Professor Phillip Nolan and a Steering Group formed from nominations of interested stakeholders representing medical, professional/technical staff, nursing and patient representatives. The aim of the Cardiac Services Review is to recommend configuration for a national adult cardiac service to achieve optimal patient outcomes at population level with particular emphasis on the safety, quality and sustainability of the services that patients receive. This aligns with the Sláintecare reform programme. In terms of scope, the National Review covers scheduled and unscheduled hospital-based services for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease in adults.

The COVID-19 Pandemic impacted on the progress of the review during 2020 and into 2021 as the Chair of the Cardiac Services Review has played a key role in the national COVID-19 response. Substantial progress has been made on the National Review of Specialist Cardiac Services and it is now complete. The Report is being prepared currently for presentation to the Minister for his consideration. Any recommendations relevant to population screening for cardiac or related conditions will be considered by the NSAC.