NICE Quality Standards for FASD & SIGN 156;
improving assessment, diagnosis & prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
With up to 428 co-occurring neurodevelopmental conditions common to FASD, spanning across 18 of 22 chapters of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) -10. FASD is one of the most prevalent disease conditions include congenital malformations, deformities, and chromosomal abnormalities and 'behavioural' symptoms.
The new NICE Standard provides a best practice quality standard for professionals and services that supports understanding of FASD, offering assessment and support to families where appropriate.
Awareness of FASD is long overdue where this will make a lifelong difference to many adoptive, birth, foster and kinship care families who are waiting for assessment, diagnosis and support.
NICE Quality Standards states....
'Service providers and healthcare professionals should satisfy themselves that they are complying with their legal and professional regulatory duties.
When exercising their judgement, professionals and practitioners are expected to take this quality standard into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences and values of their patients or the people using their service.
When supporting people to make decisions, service providers and healthcare professionals should ensure that people have the information they need to make decisions and to give consent in line with General Medical Council (GMC) guidance and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code.
Endorsing body
This quality standard is endorsed by NHS England as required by the Health and Social Care Act (2012).
SIGN 156 should be read in parallel to the 'NICE Quality Standards for FASD'
Remit and target users
This guideline provides evidence-based recommendations on measurement of alcohol consumption in pregnancy and consensus-based recommendations on:
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identification of children at risk of FASD
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criteria for diagnosis and use of FASD as a descriptor
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the medical assessment
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physical examination
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sentinel facial features
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neurodevelopmental assessment
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the multidisciplinary assessment team
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special considerations in the neurodevelopmental assessment
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management and follow up of children and young people affected by PAE.
The guideline will be of interest to individuals involved in the assessment and diagnosis of people at risk of FASD, including child development specialists, clinical and educational psychologists and neuropsychologists, clinical geneticists, general practitioners and members of the primary care team, health visitors, judicial services, midwives, neonatologists, nurses (eg school, learning disability and others), obstetricians, occupational therapists, paediatricians, physicians, physiotherapists, psychiatrists, social workers and speech and language therapists. It will also be of interest to people at risk of FASD, their parents and carers, adoptive and fostering services, supportive organisations in the voluntary sector and policy makers.