The North West’s NHS Genomic Medicine Service Alliance and Health Education England are working together on three key genomic education and training projects over the next 12 months.
Health Education England in the North West (HEE) has provided significant levels of funding for these projects to deliver healthcare and health improvements to the patients and the public across the region, by ensuring that professionals across the workforce are supported to have the right skills, and knowledge to utilise genomics for the benefit of their patients.
The NHS North West Genomic Medicine Service Alliance have a longstanding relationship with HEE and their two education and workforce development leads Glenda Beaman and Holly O'Dea continue to work collaboratively HEE to upskill the workforce in areas of genomics that are relevant to their practice.
Helen Liggett, Healthcare Science Workforce Lead at Health Education England in the North West, said: “We have provided significant levels of funding to the alliance this financial year for three specific transformation projects, including active recruitment. For example, the acceleration of genomics integration within nursing project, includes the recruitment of three clinical nurse specialists who will drive a ‘train the trainers’ program of learning across the region, that they can cascade to each of the cancer alliance regions within the North West.The training will include counselling and consenting techniques which will champion genomics within specific cancer pathways.
Holly O’Dea, Workforce Development and HEE Liaison Lead, NW GMSA added: “All three projects serve to embed genomics into routine healthcare and clinical practice. The IMPACTT TNA project is an additional piece of work aligned to the IMPACTT project, which will identify the educational requirements needed for different workforce groups for genomics to be utilised effectively within each of the cancer pathways. Three cancer genomics workforce engagement leads will be recruited to support the project.
Glenda Beaman, Workforce Development and HEE Liaison Lead, NW GMSA also added: “The third HEE funded project relates to the recruitment and embedding of genomic cardiovascular risk factor nurses across the North West. Initially there’s a lot of information gathering required, to inform the project including a population health approach, as well as active community engagement via the new landscape of integrated care systems. An enhanced understanding of health inequalities across our region will ultimately support the diagnosis and management of inherited cardiovascular conditions.”
For more information please email contactus@nw-gmsa.nhs.uk