Sudden Cardiac Death in Young People 2025-12-15

Opened the debate

I thank the Speaker’s Office for finding time for this important Adjournment debate, and my hon. Friend the Minister for being in her place to hear it. I look forward to her response. I know that many Members feel passionate about this issue and look forward to taking as many interventions as I can. There have been plenty of high-profile examples of sudden cardiac arrest in young people, but I want to speak about a case brought to my attention by one of my constituents, Maureen, who was the aunt of Clarissa Nicholls. Clarissa was studying French and Italian at the University of Cambridge. She was a keen runner and hockey player. Just days before her 21st birthday in May 2023, she collapsed and died while hiking in France with friends. It was later found that she had an undiagnosed life-threatening condition: arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. In June 2024, Clarissa was posthumously awarded a first-class honours degree from the University of Cambridge. I have had the honour of meeting Clarissa’s mum Hilary, both privately and at a recent event in Westminster held by the Cardiac Risk in the Young campaign. Fleur Anderson (Putney) (Lab) congratulated me on securing this debate and highlighted that exercise can triple the risk of sudden cardiac death but 80% of cases show no symptoms at all. She urged for clear guidance to encourage more young people to have simple tests that could save lives. I agree that young people with these conditions can continue to take part in sport as long as they are aware and can take necessary precautions. When I applied for this debate, what struck me was the number of people who came up to share their personal experiences. Hilary said her daughter put everything into her studies and remained proud of her dedication. The British Heart Foundation noted that undetected heart conditions lead to sudden deaths in young people. Twelve people aged between 14 and 35 die each week from an undiagnosed heart condition, with 80% showing no symptoms. Elite athletes are screened but amateur and grassroots athletes are not despite facing similar risks. NHS screens families only after a sudden cardiac death or those with symptoms, dismissing others without tests due to lack of symptoms.

Government Response

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary thanked Chris Vince for bringing forward the debate and recognised his efforts in securing support for Harlow constituents. She highlighted the importance of national security labs being set up in Harlow, which is a significant contribution to health and national security. On the issue raised by Carla Lockhart regarding sudden death syndrome and its potential link with vaccination, Dalton acknowledged the concern but did not provide specific details on how data was being assessed or reviewed. We collect data on conditions and potential impacts right across the medical estate. I have not seen any data that would suggest there is a link to any particular vaccine, but if there is, the data would show us that and it would be considered. My hon. Friend the Member for Harlow and I stood on a manifesto to tackle the biggest killers, including cardiovascular disease, to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions in England, and to reverse the legacy left to us by the previous Government. Through his work with the CRY campaign and everything he said in the Chamber this evening, it is evident that he is staying true to those promises. I fully support a national screening programme, as long as the experts agree that it would do more good than harm. Our National Screening Committee gives advice based on a range of factors and while balancing the pros and cons of screening population level groups, the committee has previously given evidence that introducing mass screening for sudden cardiac death could cause harm by misdiagnosing some people. NHS England runs training sessions on first aid, CPR and the use of defibrillators both in the community and in schools under the Restart a Heart programme. NHS England has trained over 35,800 adults and children in CPR and defibrillator use in the past 13 years. NHS England is also keeping under review the specialist service specification for providing care to families, working closely with several organisations such as the Association for Inherited Cardiac Conditions. We are also working with the NHS genomics programme to align the service specification with genomics resources. Within a decade, every newborn will undergo whole genome sequencing, which assesses future risk of hundreds of diseases, including cardiovascular conditions. This ambition will be funded by a £650 million boost to genomics as part of the Government’s life sciences sector plan. Under this Government, NHS waiting lists are falling, ambulances are arriving faster, and we are lifting hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty. Our 10-year plan is building on the founding principle of the NHS so that it provides healthcare free at the point of risk, not just at the point of need. I have heard the case made by my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow this evening. He is a powerful advocate for those who have lost loved ones to sudden cardiac death, and we are listening to him and others who are pushing us to go further.