Parents’ experiences of receiving a severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) or non-SCID T-cell lymphopenia outcome during the newborn screening evaluation in England

Background: In 2021, the UK National Screening Committee commissioned an evaluation of newborn bloodspot screening for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) in England. This paper describes the experiences of parents who received an SCID or non-SCID T-cell lymphopenia (non-SCID TCL) result for their baby during the evaluation. Methods: A qualitative exploratory design was employed using semi-structured interviews with 12 parents (n = 5 who had received an SCID outcome and n = 7 who had received a non-SCID TCL following SCID NBS). Results: The impact on parents whose baby was diagnosed with SCID was complex, reflecting the experience of receiving a presymptomatic diagnosis. Parents of babies who had been diagnosed with a non-SCID TCL viewed their baby’s result in terms of risk; while their baby might still have a serious immunological condition, it was not considered to be as serious as SCID. All parents reported that they valued their participation in the SCID screening evaluation. Conclusions: Support for families following a positive screening result for SCID needs to be considered. This includes tailored psychosocial support, given their experiences will not be the same as those of parents of non-screened babies with SCID.