Genetics: Screening

(asked on 14th June 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients that will benefit from whole genome sequencing in the first year of its introduction; and what steps is he taking to ensure the adequacy of trained professionals to provide that service.


Answered by
Caroline Dinenage Portrait
Caroline Dinenage
This question was answered on 19th June 2019

As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, the National Health Service has committed to sequencing 500,000 whole genomes by 2023/24.

During 2019, the NHS will begin to offer whole genome sequencing (WGS) as part of clinical care for:

- Seriously ill children likely to have a rare genetic disorder;

- People with one of 21 rare conditions where current evidence supports early adoption of WGS as a diagnostic test;

- People with specific types of cancer for which there is likely to be the greatest patient benefit from using WGS – children with cancer, sarcoma and Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.

As the price of whole genome sequencing falls and the evidence improves, we envisage that it will be extended to more conditions and therefore more patients.

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