Sudden Cardiac Death: Screening for Young People

Lord Scriven Excerpts

Monday 5th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I am aware that this informs some people’s decisions not to go forward for the test. That is a real consideration. All aspects of genomics will be taken into account by the Government. The noble Lord raises an important point. We cannot force people to go for testing if they chose not to for whatever reason.

[Lord Scriven (LD)]

My Lords, international evidence already exists. The evidence that the committee is using is pre pandemic—2019—but since 2024 evidence shows that there is only a 3% false positive rate on these tests. Therefore, the Government and the committee already have the evidence. In the light of 12 young people a week dying because of not having this screening, will the Government introduce the precautionary principle and look at testing or some other measure until such time as the committee makes a recommendation in the summer on the evidence that exists?

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I am not convinced that the evidence is as categoric as the noble Lord asserts, but I am delighted to tell the House that the UK National Screening Committee will open a public consultation on sudden cardiac death screening in the spring. It is crucial that we let it do its work and bring all the evidence forward to make sure that we come forward with the right approach to a desperate situation.

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I think everyone in this House will support my noble friend’s comments on that appalling tragedy. We are just at the beginning of understanding what happened, but our hearts go out to all the families and friends of the young people who died. Words cannot express just how tragic this event has been.

[Lord Scriven (LD)]

My Lords, to come back to the Question, 80% of those who died had no symptoms, which is why screening is important. The international comparison is Japan, which has done screening at school level for over 20 years and has a death rate among young people that is 25% less than in the UK. Will the Government therefore look at the Japan model in particular to see whether lessons can be learned about saving these young lives?