Breast Cancer: Genetics
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 18282 on Breast Cancer: Genetics, whether workforce planning for genetic councillors will prioritise areas that have regional inequities in access to genetic counselling.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Each of the seven NHS Genomic Medicine Service regions is reviewing its local workforce strategies and people plans to understand the support needed for patients requiring genomic testing, including genetic counsellors. In addition, each of the 17 NHS Clinical Genomic Services is reviewing and planning profession capacity requirements, including genetic counsellors, to support delivery of care within timescales required for patients and clinicians.
Within NHS England, the NHS Genomics Unit is working with the Workforce, Training and Education Directorate to feed genomics demand into the national workforce model. This work is aligned with the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.
In addition, NHS England and the NHS Race and Health Observatory have partnered to commission an 18-month research project to investigate disparities in access to and delivery of the NHS Genomic Medicine Service faced by ethnic minority patient groups and identify actions to address any inequities.
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