Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what modelling his Department has undertaken of potential future demand for genomic testing to support delivery of commitments in the NHS 10 Year Plan and National Cancer Plan.

NHS England is responsible for commissioning the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (NHS GMS). Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS GMS and delivered by a national genomic testing network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs).

The NHS GMS currently delivers approximately 70,000 genomic tests per month. The NHS 10-Year Health Plan and National Cancer Plan included a number of commitments for genomics, which will see an increase in demand for testing, driven in particular by an increase in the type of genomic tests available on the National Genomic Test Directory, service developments within the NHG GMS, genomic testing to support access to medicines, particularly in cancer, and improved access to existing testing. It is expected that demand for genomic tests will continue to rise year on year such that by 2035, we anticipate that half of all healthcare interactions will be informed by genomic insights and other predictive analytics.