Genetic Counsellor - Royal Brompton Hospital inLondon inLondon PUBLISHED 1 DEC 2023

Main tasks and responsibilities

• Communication
• Communication with individuals and families using a range of media, eliciting concerns/expectations and accurately documenting detailed family histories.
• Calculate risks of patients and families being affected by various genetic disorders, the risks of recurrence and carrier risks.
• Assess and determine the need for referral to specialist therapeutic counselling, psychiatric assessment or screening and make appropriate referrals.
• Manage conflict or differing expectations within a family. Provide information on the care of other family members, to identify at-risk relatives and advise how they can obtain genetic counselling, genetic testing or clinical screening.
• Source and interpret scientific papers and genetic test results, be a resource for advice on factors that reduce or influence risk of conditions to the patient and/or their families.
• Use advanced counselling skills to communicate sensitively in the presence of language, cultural and/or medical issues, or when dealing with cases where there is a highly sensitive situation.
• Interpret and communicate normal and abnormal findings in relation to genetic test results to patients and other health care professionals. Order genetic and biochemical tests as needed and refer to other specialties as required.
• Undertake predictive genetic testing as per the Clinical Genetics & Genomics Laboratorys results and the outcomes of the relevant MDTs and relay the results appropriately to the members of the family undergoing screening.
• Advise future parents on family planning options including prenatal testing,preimplantation genetic diagnosis and facilitate the process when applicable.

• Patient/customer care (both direct and indirect)
• Keep clear and accurate medical records.
• Write a summary of consultations for the patient and referrer.
• Discuss cases of clinical or ethical complexity with colleagues in the genetic or other relevant teams.
• Liaise with a range of disciplines and genetic centres locally, regionally and nationally to obtain and provide information of relevance.
• Respond to enquiries from patients and clinicians in conjunction with the consultant and other members of the local genetics team.

• Policy & Service development
• Contribute to the national and international profile of the genetic counselling profession.
• Take an active role nationally in genetic counselling related work, participate in national meetings and hold membership of organising bodies or professional committees.

• Resource management
• Produce the annual business plan with the clinical leads and other senior staff.
• Advise on how the highest quality service can be provided within agreed contracts and available resources.
• Input into short and long-term strategies for the development of services based on changing needs and demand, and changing modes of service delivery.
• Develop and implement strategies with the clinicians and other senior staff to maximise efficiency in the use of resources.
• With the clinical leads, undertake analysis, and ensure information and data about the Departments performance and workload is provided in an accurate and timely manner

• People management
• Develop, and manage the genetic counselling service.
• Maintain an understanding of the local and national financial landscape for Clinical Genetics.
• professional leadership for other GCs at various stages of training and experience, ensuring staff are supported in their work.
• To be trained in and demonstrate fair employment practices, in line with trust policies.
• Undertake annual appraisal/performance management of all GCs in line with Trust procedures and policies.
• Promote the continued personal and professional development of the GCs, ensuring equal opportunities for training and professional development whilst considering the overall needs of the department.
• Co-ordinate and contribute to the teaching workload of the GC team.
• Provide ongoing support for experienced Specialist and Highly Specialist GCs.
• Ensure that the performance and conduct of the GCs meet the standards set and required.
• Ensure that there is the appropriate management of any grievance or disciplinary issue in line with the Trust policy.
• Monitor and ensure that sickness absence within the GC team is managed effectively and appropriately in line with the Trust Sickness Absence Policy.
• Manage all issues of change effectively within the department in line with the Trust Policy on Managing Change.
• Anticipate staff shortages and take action to minimise the impact of these on service delivery. Devise and implement recruitment and retention strategies.
• Attend weekly working group meetings and chair in absence of lead clinician.
• Ensure good communication between the genetic counselling team and others within the department/ Directorate/ Trust.
• Manage the selection, recruitment and induction of new GC posts
• Draw up appropriate job description and person specification for all new GC posts.
• Arrange and chair selection interviews for all new GC appointments.

• Information management
• In line with Trust policies, develop, lead and implement standards for clinical audit and evaluate clinical effectiveness including clinical risk management.
• Ensure policies and procedures relevant to Genetics are implemented.
• Produce reports and analysis as required by the Trust.

• 
  Research and development
  
• To be the one of the Trust Specialist in the field of genetic counselling, accountable for the genetic counselling service and research and development within the role.

To abide by the Trusts Core behaviours for staff and all other Trust policies, codes and practices including standing financial instructions, research governance, clinical governance, patient and public involvement, codes and practices, and health and safety.

Other duties

• To ensure confidentiality at all times, only releasing confidential information obtained during the course of employment to those acting in an official capacity in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act and its amendments.
• To promote at all times equal opportunities for staff and patients in accordance with the Trusts policies to ensure that no person receives less favourable treatment than another on the grounds of: age; disability; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race (ethnicity); religion or belief; sex (gender); gender reassignment or sexual orientation.
• To work in accordance with the Trusts Equality and Diversity policy to eliminate unlawful discrimination in relation to employment and service delivery.
• Although the department is based at the Royal Brompton Hospital, the post-holder may be required to work at other sites.
• Comply at all times within the requirement of the Health & Safety Regulations and take responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of colleagues, patients and visitors.
• May be required to undertake other duties, which are in line with the grading of the post to ensure the smooth running of the genetics clinics.
• To ensure skills are up-to-date and relevant to the role, to follow relevant Trust policies and professional codes and to maintain registration where this is a requirement of the role.

Take a major role in providing expert genetic counselling and management of complex inherited cardiovascular conditions comprising adult and paediatric services in cardiomyopathies, channelopathies, and some inherited respiratory conditions, with clinical work comprising 100% of the time.

To help individuals and families cope with an inherited disorder. This is to be achieved by helping patients and their families to:

o Understand the medical facts, including the diagnosis, probable course of the disorder and available management;

o Understand how heredity may contribute to the disorder and the risk of recurrence in specified relatives;

o Understanding the alternatives for addressing the risk of recurrence;

o Help the patients choose the course of action which seems most appropriate to them;

o Make the best possible adjustment to the disorder in an affected family member and/or the risk or recurrence of that disorder.

Main Duties:

• Understand the medical facts, including the diagnosis, probable course of the disorder and available management
• Understand how heredity may contribute to the disorder and the risk of recurrence in specified relatives
• Understanding the alternatives for addressing the risk of recurrence
• Help the patients choose the course of action which seems most appropriate to them
• Make the best possible adjustment to the disorder in an affected family member and/or the risk or recurrence of that disorder.
• To oversee the efficient processing of inherited disease referrals and equitable allocation of appointments, working together with the Specialist Nurses and secretaries.
• Prepare patients' clinic appointment by accessing and interpreting data in relation to a hereditary disease
• Provide post-clinic contact according to clinical need.
• Attend clinical cross-site MDTs for inherited cardiovascular conditions
• Attend Genetic laboratory MDT
• To be the accountable supervisor for trainee genetic counsellors.
• Contribute to the day-to-day management of the genetic counselling for the ICC service
• Supporting genomics education for all staff in the Inherited Cardiovascular Conditions Service.
• To take responsibility for delivering diagnostic and predictive genetic results
• To be one of the Trust's specialists in the field of genetic counselling, accountable for the genetic counselling service and research and development within the role.