Amanda Hack MP

2 days ago

Major research published this week by Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) delivers a powerful and timely message: cardiac screening saves young lives.

The largest-ever study of its kind, published in the prestigious Journal of the American College of Cardiology, analysed data from more than 104,000 young people aged 14-35 who were screened through CRY’s nationwide programme between 2008 and 2018.

The findings are significant:

➡️1 in 300 young people screened were found to have a potentially life-threatening heart condition

➡️41% of those diagnosed went on to receive vital interventions - including pacemakers, defibrillators, cardiac surgery and, in two cases, heart transplants

➡️A simple ECG test demonstrated 77% sensitivity, with a very low false positive rate of just 2.1%

➡️Importantly, there was no meaningful difference in risk between athletes and non-athletes -reinforcing the case that screening should be available to all young people, not just those in competitive sport

Every week in the UK, 12 young people aged 35 and under lose their lives to undiagnosed heart conditions. Behind each statistic is a devastated family and a future cut tragically short.

As the chair of the APPG for Cardiac Risk in the Young, I believe this research strengthens the case for wider access to cardiac screening and greater awareness of the risks. We have an opportunity and a responsibility to act on this evidence and help prevent avoidable deaths.

You can read more about the research here: sbrew.link/HconODug ... See MoreSee Less

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Amanda Hack MP

3 days ago

Yesterday, the Schools White Paper was published by the Education Secretary, setting out proposals to improve the SEND system that has been letting down families and schools for far too long.

Through roundtables and day-to-day casework, I’ve spoken to many parents about the battles they face to secure the support their child needs. I’ve also met with most schools across the constituency, and the local college, who are doing everything they can to support children while they wait for an EHCP – often without additional resources, because some extra funding is only triggered once the EHCP process is complete.

From these conversations, I know that even when an EHCP is finally in place, support can come too late, affecting outcomes for children. That is why these proposals are designed to bring about earlier intervention to support children with additional needs, to make sure they get the best start in life.

After all of the conversations I’ve had with you, I know you feel that the current system is often too adversarial, exhausting and failing the very children it is meant to help. These proposals aim to change that.

Key measures in the White Paper include:

➡️ £1.6 billion will go straight to early years settings, schools and colleges to fund targeted help to make sure children get support where and when they need it.

➡️ £1.8 billion will create an “Experts at Hand” service – a bank of specialists like SEND teachers, speech & language therapists and more, available locally for every school with or without an EHCP in place, meaning every child will be able to access these resources if they need them.

➡️ £200 million to ensure every teacher is trained to support SEND pupils.

➡️ £3.7 billion to create tens of thousands of new places in Inclusion Bases in mainstream settings, improve the accessibility of buildings and create new special school places.

There is also a lot of misinformation circulating online, so I want to be clear about what the proposals actually say:

➡️ New legal rights: Every child with SEND will have a legal right to an Individual Support Plan (ISP) or EHCP.

➡️ Protection for EHCPs: Existing plans will remain protected. Any transitions from EHCPs to ISPs for mainstream pupils would not begin until 2030, and only at natural transition points (such as moving to secondary school).

➡️ No forced moves: No child currently in a special school will be required to move to a mainstream school.

➡️ The option of tribunal as a last resort will be retained.

The measures set out above are just a snapshot of the key areas we are looking at to change the system for the better and make sure our kids, families and schools, get the support they need sooner.

You can find out more details here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-send-reforms-sheets

To be clear these are proposals that we are now consulting on following the biggest ever conversation about the SEND system. I am committed to continuing to support schools, teachers and parents in understanding these proposals and ensuring your voices are heard during the consultation.

The consultation on the Schools White Paper is open until 18 May 2026.

Take part here: tinyurl.com/37rzfjuv

However if you would prefer to be part of a constituency wide response I will be hosting roundtables again in the coming weeks, please drop me an email to register your early interest: [email protected] ... See MoreSee Less

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