The recent comments by Tiny Tickers are so significant. We find it hard to believe that in 2025 these comments apply to our national pregnancy screening programme.
It’s not acceptable that we have;
“significant disparity”, a “postcode lottery” and “inequitable access to patient care”.
It’s significant Tiny Tickers “would like to see national guidelines – and, therefore, subsequently the policies and protocols of employers – updated, to end the differences in approach that currently lead to variation in care for patients”.
It’s revealing that “the majority of NHS Trusts are not following current FASP guidelines” and there is “variance in practice”.
It’s frustrating we still have “lack of uniformity in how and what views are captured; and unequal, inconsistent and variable patient care”.
It is suggested “there is no medicolegal reason not to archive images of the fetal heart” and by doing so this may “Enhance antenatal CHD detection”
We obviously agree with Tiny Tickers that “Storing fetal heart images should be standardised nationally”.
We applaud Tiny Tickers "The Tiny Hearts Charity" for encouraging a more open discussion on these issues.