For Health Professionals

Kia ora, welcome to the National Screening Unit

Here you will find information for health professionals working in screening in New Zealand, including policy guidelines, quality standards, programme updates and a range of information resources which can be downloaded.

Antenatal HIV Screening

Antenatal HIV screening is offered to all women with the other five routine antenatal blood tests. As with all blood tests and procedures appropriate informed consent is required before testing can be undertaken. Diagnosis and appropriate treatment of HIV in pregnancy reduces the risk of transmission from 25 - 31.5% to less than 1%. Treatment will also improve the health of the woman diagnosed and offers the potential to identify and prevent community transmission.

Antenatal Screening for Down Syndrome and other conditions

Quality Improvement measures for antenatal screening for Down syndrome are currently being developed and introduced. Quality improvement initiatives planned for introduction later this year include ‘first trimester combined screening’ which includes maternal serum screening in the first trimester combined with Nuchal translucency screening, and a fourth analyte being added to the already funded second trimester serum screening test for those women who either present after the first trimester or choose not to access ultrasound scans.

BreastScreen Aotearoa

BreastScreen Aotearoa is a national programme that provides free screening mammograms and follow-up for asymptomatic women aged 45 to 69 years.

The aim of the programme is to reduce women’s morbidity and mortality from breast cancer by identifying cancers at an early stage, allowing treatment to be commenced sooner than might otherwise have been possible.

National Cervical Screening Programme

The National Cervical Screening Programme is available to all women in New Zealand aged 20 until they turn 70 who have ever been sexually active. Being part of the National Cervical Screening Programme and having cervical smear tests every three years can prevent cervical cancer. A cervical smear test shows if there are abnormal changes in the cells on the surface of the cervix. The National Cervical Screening Programme is reliant on specific services being provided by a range of service providers throughout the screening pathway. These include primary health care services, laboratories, colposcopy services, regional services and independent service providers.

Newborn Metabolic Screening Programme

The Newborn Metabolic screening programme tests for rare but potentially serious disorders such as phenylketonuria (PKU), cystic fibrosis and congenital hypothyroidism. Blood is taken from your baby’s heel at 48 hours of age or as soon as possible after this. Early treatment is necessary once a condition is found so as to prevent those potentially serious complications which can include permanent damage or even death.

Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programme

Newborn hearing screening is designed to check whether your baby hears well. If your baby does have a hearing loss, finding it early is good for their language, learning and social development. When it is fully implemented all 21 DHBs will be offering newborn hearing screening free of charge.