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Issue 15 | September 2025 | |
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Welcome to the September issue of our Nursing and Midwifery quarterly update featuring genomics news, resources and events within our region and nationally. | |
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NHS Ten Year Plan for England Fit for the Future | |
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With the recent publication of the NHS Ten Year Plan for England: Fit for the Future, Genomics is recognised as having a key role within the changes announced in this document. Genomics is one of the NHS’s five transformative technologies moving from specialist use to routine preventative care. It will see continuing support for the Generation Study: Sequencing 100,000 newborns to detect rare conditions early, as well as the introduction of a broader Genomics Population Health Service aiming to deliver personalised preventative care and an initiative to expand adult genomics risk stratification utilising Polygenic risk scores.
As nurses and midwives, we will need to ensure we are genomically literate and prepared for the changes that lie ahead with the new plan. What can you do to improve your knowledge and skills? - Click on the images below to download the Nursing or Midwifery Genomic Passports, which are designed to guide you on genomics learning and support tailoring this for your individual needs.
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- Midwives Next Meeting: Wednesday 22 October 12:00-13:00 - Nurses Next Meeting: Wednesday 26 November 12:00-13:00
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On 28 August 2025, NHS England launched the Nursing and Midwifery Genomics Framework. This is a positive step towards embedding genomics into everyday practice. This three-year roadmap aims to empower nurses and midwives with the skills and confidence to lead in genomic healthcare, improving outcomes through personalised care and equitable access to testing.
You can read more about the framework here. Over the coming months we will be working to further engage with Trusts as our Nurse and Midwife Leads, Anita and Jo, are committed to supporting local implementation of the framework. We will be exploring practical ways Trusts can support the upskilling of the workforce and help midwives and nurses integrate genomics into their clinical practice. We welcome conversations with colleagues who are keen to get involved. | |
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Elaine Vickers PhD is an educator and writer on cancer biology and systemic cancer treatments. She has produced a series of videos for Health Care Professionals who want to better understand cancer biology.
Cancer Basics is a series of short accessible videos which are free to access. | |
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Genes & Health is the world's largest community-based study of genetics and health in British Bangladeshis and British Pakistanis. Their aim is to improve health in people from these communities through high quality scientific research. South Asian people have some of the highest rates of heart disease, diabetes and poor health in the UK. Lack of diversity in research makes it difficult to understand why South Asians are more at risk of these diseases and South Asians, Bangladeshi and Pakistani people are particularly underrepresented which is why this study focuses on these two groups.
Volunteers aged 16 years and over are being sought for this study. If you are interested or know of someone who would be you can find out more here. | |
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National Genomics Lunch & Learns | |
We delivered an interactive session on Practical family history skills for holistic care in July, with just over 200 attendees. This is part of a national series of events for all healthcare staff with an interest in genomics and genetics. | | | |
The session covered: - Why a genomic family history matter
- Key red flags to indicate further investigations
- Practical skills to support the assessment
- Tailoring care and questions to personalise care and conversations
You can watch the recording here and as well as catch up on previous sessions. | |
Next in the series: Genomic red flags and pregnancy | |
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Genomics within Pre-registration Nursing and Midwifery Programmes | |
We know that the Nursing and Midwifery standards of proficiency have included genetics, genomics and epigenetics for over 5 years, however there is currently no mandatory inclusion within pre-registration nursing and midwifery programmes.
We have been engaging with universities, practice educators and student groups across the region to promote the role of nurses and midwives within Genomic Medicine, and many colleagues have seen the vital role this topic plays not only in current, but also future care.
We are hosting a workshop with representatives across the universities within our region to see what is currently offered and how we can support to ensure that all universities provide standardised education so that nurses and midwives enter clinical practice with genomic knowledge and confidence.
We look forward to sharing our findings and recommendations following this event in September.
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Stakeholder Drop-in Session: Genomic Service Provision in the Context of Fetal Loss | |
Thursday 4 September 12:30-1:30pm or 6:00-7:00pm
We are pleased to be providing a session introducing our upcoming Genomic Medicine Project, focused on scoping genomic services available to women and their families within bereavement care. | | | |
This initiative spans the East Midlands and East of England as part of the Regional Genomic Medicine Service. Our aim is to spotlight existing work across the region and develop meaningful recommendations to support aligned, compassionate care for families experiencing fetal loss.
We are offering two sessions, each featuring a 30-minute overview of the project followed by an open Q&A discussion. All stakeholders are welcome. Register via the links below: | |
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Spotlight on common aneuploidy testing: Update on R445 and QF-PCR explained
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Weds 10 September 2025
This one-hour webinar will provide the latest updates on common aneuploidy testing, with a focus on the R445 screening pathway and QF-PCR analysis.
This session is intended for NHS professionals and is especially relevant to midwives, genetic counsellors, screening midwives and anyone working in fetal medicine. Please register your place here.
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Jeans for Genes week: 15 – 21 September
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Jeans for Genes have their 30 year celebration in this week. They campaign to raise awareness of the daily challenges faced by those living with a genetic condition and raise money to fund projects that make a tangible difference to the lives of those affected. For more information see their website here.
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ARC Online Conference 2025: Improving equity in antenatal testing and its consequences across the UK
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Friday 26 September
ARC’s online conference 2025 will explore what we can do to help ensure equity of care for parents through antenatal screening and its consequences. To find out more visit the ARC conference page here. | |
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East Genomics Prenatal Forum
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Virtual Prenatal Genetics Short Course 2025
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14 October – 26 November 2025 - Online course Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust are running their Virtual Prenatal Genetics Short Course again this year, from 14 October 2025. This year’s programme has been refreshed to include new content and practical skills designed to support professionals working in prenatal testing settings, and incorporates the Genomics Learning Passport for Midwives, covering: - Epigenetics in infant feeding
- Updates on the newborn screening programme
- Tools for confidently obtaining and interpreting family histories
- Counselling and consent skills for genetic testing
Whether you're a midwife, sonographer, fetal medicine specialist, genetic counsellor, or clinician, this course offers practical, skills-based learning to enhance confidence and competence in discussing genetic testing and results with families. Find out more and register here. | |
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This year the event takes place 5-6 November in Birmingham and is a free to attend. | | | |
Nurses can take the opportunity to gain CPD hours, visit exhibitor stands and the Compassion Café. A collaboration of several of the Genomic Medicine Service Alliances Lead Nurses will have a stand at this event whilst Anita and her colleague from North Thames GMSA, Liz Bancroft (Chief Nurse) will be presenting with a focus on Prostate Cancer, Monogenic Diabetes and the impact Pharmacogenomics will have on the nursing workforce. Register your place here. | |
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Joint Nursing and Midwifery in Genetics and Genomics Network Session Weds 24 September 2025, 12pm - 1.30pm Connecting across nursing and midwifery teams, with updates on current priorities. - Session 1: Genomics in Practice Speaker: Colette Scrace, Lead Nurse for Genomics – Cancer and Rare Diseases, NHS England An introduction to NHS Fit for the Future – Genomics, with a focus on what it means for nurses and midwives in everyday care.
- Session 2: Consent in Genomics – Shared perspectives
A group presentation featuring nurses, midwives, and genetic counsellors sharing their experiences around consent in genomic medicine. The session will include practical reflections from different settings and highlight key fundamentals relevant to all areas of practice.
Regional Midwives in Genetics and Genomics (MiGGS) Network Weds 22 October 2025, 12pm - 1pm Join our Regional Midwives in Genetics and Genomics Forum for a session exploring inherited cardiac conditions, with reflections on clinical practice, genomics, and implications for patient care in pregnancy and following birth. Register your place here.
Regional Nurses in Genetics and Genomics (NuGGS) Network Weds 26 November 2025, 12pm - 1pm Join our Regional Midwives in Genetics and Genomics Forum for a session exploring inherited cardiac conditions. Our guest speaker is Emma Hughes, Inherited Cardiac Conditions Specialist Nurse and Sudden Unexpected Death Co-Ordinator from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust Register your place here. | |
Education, Training and Resources | |
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Meet the East GMSA Nursing and Midwifery Team | |
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