Innovation team raises awareness in genomic medicine

In September 2016, we teamed up with University Hospitals Leicester, Nottingham University Hospitals, and BME Health to set up a collaboration to increase the uptake of genomic medicine through innovative approaches to clinical education. In doing so, the team have recruited five cancer patients, who have had their genomes tested, as champions to work across Leicester and Nottingham to raise awareness of genomic medicine.

The training of the workforce has taken an innovative approach in that the champions will be referred patients who they will offer peer support to and information around genome testing. These patients will than go back to their GP, and the practice will then be given the opportunity of training and education from the champions at a time when it is ‘here and now’ for them as opposed to something that may happen in the future. In addition, the champions will be trained and supported to deliver training bespoke to local and speciality needs, which can be packaged for eligibility.

The collaboration is about half way through and already having a major impact. In the coming months the team hope to measure genome testing uptake and write up their findings from this.