Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for the (a) the roll-out and (b) publication of progress reports on the Genomic Healthcare Strategy.

The Genomic Healthcare Strategy is in the final stages of preparation and its publication is planned for later this year. The National Genomics Board will oversee delivery of the Strategy and will receive regular progress reports regarding its implementation.

One important goal for the Strategy will be to bring together the Government’s future ambitions for genomics as well as existing genomics commitments. Genomic testing is already in use in the National Health Service as part of the diagnostic pathway and the NHS Long Term Plan sets out the ambition to embed genomic medicine, including whole genome sequencing, into routine clinical care. It is expected that within the next year whole genome sequencing (WGS) will begin to be available 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; and

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

Through implementation of the NHS Genomic Medicine Service, NHS England and NHS Improvement is ensuring consistent and equitable access to genomic testing.