Genomic testing

How UWE Bristol's nursing research is transforming patient lives.

Bridging the genomics knowledge gap

Every patient deserves precision care. Yet across England's NHS, a critical knowledge gap has been preventing nurses and midwives from delivering genomic tests that could transform outcomes for cancer patients, families with rare inherited conditions, and countless others.

UWE Bristol's Generation Genome Education Team recognised closing this gap could change lives. By upskilling frontline professionals with genomic knowledge, they are enabling nurses to act with confidence, empower patients, and save lives. Over the past six years, 261 nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals have completed UWE Bristol’s training, cascading their expertise across the Genomic Medicine Service and leading service improvement projects.

Foundational framework born from research and collaboration

Before training could begin, the team needed to understand the scale of the challenge. Their research revealed stark findings: despite recognising genomics as vital for patient care, nurses and midwives reported very low confidence in the subject. More than 80% of nurses had no formal education in genetics or genomics.

In response, the team developed a framework in partnership with NHS England, Macmillan Cancer Support, the British Heart Foundation, Genomics England, and the Southwest Genomic Laboratory Hub. This evidence-based tool enables nurses to be assessed and practice genomic mainstreaming safely and independently. Building on this foundation, UWE Bristol created England's only fully validated PgCert in Genomics specifically for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.

Delivering measurable patient impact

The real measure of success lies in patient outcomes: In one region, a course participant led a Lynch Syndrome clinic. Previously up to 40% of patients needing referrals were being missed. Now, with a new clinic in place, all eligible patients are being referred for testing. This is one example of how this research and it’s outputs are transforming outcomes for families at risk of inherited cancers.

Graduates have gone on to develop nurse-led genomic clinics across specialisms from cancer to sudden cardiac death. They’ve created patient resources that improve understanding of genomic testing while reducing consultation times, making services more efficient and accessible. Many are now incorporating digital tools and AI into their practice to generate patient information leaflets and standard operating procedures that further enhance service delivery.

Setting national and global standards

UWE Bristol is currently the only UK higher education provider offering genomic continuing professional development tailored for nurses, fully funded by NHS England. But the reach extends far beyond England. The competency framework has been adopted across NHS pathways serving 56 million people, and its scalability means it can be adapted internationally. Nurse educators in countries such as New Zealand are already using it to train their own workforces in genomic mainstreaming.

The Generation Genome Education Team, led by Professor Aniko Varadi, received the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence from Advance HE, The team's collaborative research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, contributing to the global evidence base for genomics education.

Scaling up transformation

The ambition now is bold: to scale training tenfold, reaching 2,500 clinical nurse specialists across the NHS. These professionals will lead genomic service transformation in their trusts, embedding genomics into everyday care and advancing health equity.

From education frameworks to patient consultations, from local clinics to global standards, UWE Bristol is expanding access to genomic knowledge and putting transformative care within reach of every patient.