The role of genetic counsellors in genomic healthcare in the United Kingdom: a statement by the Association of Genetic Nurses and Counsellors.
In the United Kingdom, genetic counsellors work together with clinical geneticists and clinical scientist colleagues within specialist genetics services, but they also often work in multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) outside of such services. There, they contribute genetic knowledge together with expert understanding of how to communicate genetic information effectively. They can offer education and support to the MDT, while providing management advice for both affected patients and the extended at-risk family members. As genomic technologies are implemented across many disciplines within healthcare, genetic counsellors are playing a key role in enabling non-genetic health professionals learn, understand and integrate genomic data into their practice. They are also involved in curriculum development, workforce planning, research, regulation and policy creation - all with the aim of ensuring a robust evidence base from which to practise, together with clear guidelines on what constitutes competence and good practice. The Association of Genetic Nurses and Counsellors (AGNC) in The United Kingdom (UK) and Republic of Ireland is committed to supporting genetic counsellors, across all sectors of healthcare and research, as they help deliver genomic medicine for the patient, family and world-class health services.European Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 22 March 2017; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2017.28.
Society and Ethics Research Group, Connecting Science, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK.
Anna
A
Middleton
West Midlands Regional Clinical Genetics Service, Birmingham Women's Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
Peter
P
Marks
North East Thames Regional Genetics Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK.
Anita
A
Bruce
All Wales Medical Genetics Service, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK.
Liwsi K
LK
Protheroe-Davies
Clinical Genetics Service, University Hospital Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK.
Cath
C
King
Northern Genetics Service, Newcastle, UK.
Oonagh
O
Claber
Cheshire & Merseyside Regional Genetics Service, North West Coast Genomic Medicine Centre, Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK.
Catherine
C
Houghton
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Claire
C
Giffney
Clinical Genetics, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge, UK.
Rhona
R
Macleod
West Midlands Regional Clinical Genetics Service, Birmingham Women's Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
Claire
C
Dolling
Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, St Mary's Hospital, Central Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, and Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK.
Sue
S
Kenwrick
Clinical Genetics, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge, UK.
Diana
D
Scotcher
Clinical Genetics, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge, UK.
Georgina
G
Hall
Genomics England, Queen Mary University of London, London and Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, London, UK.
Christine
C
Patch
West Midlands Regional Clinical Genetics Service, Birmingham Women's Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
Laura
L
Boyes
D005817:Genetic Counseling / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D005826:Genetics, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D024382:Professional Role; D012956:Societies, Nursing; D006113:United Kingdom