Around 28,000 babies born in Wales each year could benefit from expanded screening following a £1.7 million investment in laboratory facilities and testing.

Newborn babies across Wales will be screened for an additional serious medical condition following a Welsh Government investment of more than £1.7 million.

The funding includes £1.21 million for a new biochemistry laboratory at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, alongside £529,000 to expand the national screening programme.

The investment will enable testing for hereditary tyrosinaemia type 1, a rare inherited metabolic condition that can cause serious health complications without early treatment.

Currently, babies born in Wales are offered screening for nine potentially serious conditions, including cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disorders and congenital hypothyroidism. Around 28,000 newborns undergo the tests annually.

Screening involves taking a small blood sample from a baby's heel, usually on the fifth day after birth. The sample is examined for signs of conditions that may not otherwise be immediately apparent. Early detection allows babies to receive specialist care and treatment before serious complications develop.

The Welsh Government says existing laboratory facilities lack sufficient capacity to introduce additional tests.

The investment will also create opportunities for Wales to participate in future evaluations of screening for spinal muscular atrophy and severe combined immunodeficiency. However, neither condition has yet been approved for routine national screening.

Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health Nerys Evans said the new laboratory would modernise Wales's screening infrastructure and allow the programme to respond to future recommendations. "We know that screening saves lives," she said.

Dr Sikha de Souza, a public health consultant with Public Health Wales, welcomed the investment. She said detecting serious conditions shortly after birth could improve health outcomes and prevent lifelong complications.

The expanded testing programme will benefit eligible newborns throughout Wales, including families receiving maternity care across west and north Wales.

A date for introducing the additional screening has not yet been confirmed.