The newborn blood spot (NBS) screening programme is offered to every baby born in the UK on day five of life, with the motivation to screen for nine conditions: cystic fibrosis; sickle cell disease; congenital hypothyroidism; and six metabolic disorders, including phenylketonuria and maple syrup urine disease (NHS 2024).

Gibbs’ (2013) reflective cycle has been used to guide this reflection and aid in understanding whether women are truly making informed decisions regarding the NBS screening programme. Following the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)’s The code (2018), the confidentiality of the woman who is the focus of this reflection will be maintained using the pseudonym ‘Emma’. In this reflection and subsequent review of the evidence, I will investigate the midwives’ role as evidence-based practitioners and facilitators of informed consent, the development of screening policies and the care pathways they inform, and theory and practice relating to my experience. This reflection will conclude by highlighting how factors such as the timeliness of information delivery and communication barriers affect patients’ abilities to give informed consent.