Appointment information (clinical genetics)

Before you can make an appointment you must be referred to us by your family doctor (GP), a hospital specialist or other health professional such as your midwife.

Please let us know as soon as possible if you need to move or cancel your genetics appointment by calling 023 8120 6170 or using our online cancellation website.

Please see our information leaflet (below) that explains what you might expect at your genetics appointment.

Before your appointment - the pre-clinic work-up (PCWU) team

When referrals are received, the pre-clinic work-up (PCWU) team gather important information on behalf of our consultants and genetic counsellors.

The PCWU team may contact you to discuss your family history and ask for details to create a three-generation family tree. You may also be asked to complete a family history questionnaire (FHQ). We may ask for basic details such as names, dates of birth, and medical history of close relatives. We understand you may not have all this information, but as much as possible is helpful. Even if everyone else in the family is healthy, it's still important for us to know about them so that our clinicians can make an informed assessment regarding the likelihood of an underlying genetic disorder and whether there are any implications for relatives.

You can contact the PCWU team at GeneticsPCWU@uhs.nhs.uk. Please note that emails may not be secure if you are not using a secure network. With this in mind, personal identifiable information should be kept to a minimum in these cases.

During your appointment

Appointments last about 40 minutes. You may bring a relative or support person and will see a consultant, genetic counsellor, or specialist nurse. You may also be seen by a speciality registrar or trainee genetic counsellor.

Your appointment may include:

• drawing a family tree with people's health details (if this has not been done before the appointment)
• a detailed discussion about the problem that has brought you to the clinic
• a physical examination
• a full discussion of the options open to you
• taking a blood sample for testing.

At the end of your appointment we will agree a plan for getting any further information or tests that might be needed, and decide whether or not you need another appointment.

We will usually write to you with a summary of what was discussed and agreed

More information can be found in the frequently asked questions section of our webpages.

Video appointments

In certain circumstances you may be offered a video appointment. Please find more information about eClinic Manager on the video clinics page.