Genetic counselling within the All Wales Psychiatric Genomics Service (AWPGS): implementation and early service experience

Duffin, Donna, Butler, Kate, Doherty, Joanne, Irving, Rachel, Walters, James ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6980-4053 and Kendall, Kimberley ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6755-6121 2026. Genetic counselling within the All Wales Psychiatric Genomics Service (AWPGS): implementation and early service experience. BMJ Connections Clinical Genetics & Genomics Item availability restricted.

	PDF (Provisional file) - Accepted Post-Print Version Download (17kB)
	PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (377kB)

Abstract

Introduction The All Wales Psychiatric Genomics Service (AWPGS) was launched in June 2022 to provide individuals with psychiatric conditions and their families access to genomic healthcare, achieving parity between psychiatric and physical health conditions within genomic medicine. The service translates advances in psychiatric genomics into clinical care through genetic counselling, risk assessment and genetic testing where appropriate. Methods This service evaluation used routinely collected data relating to referrals, clinic activity, genomic testing and patient engagement between June 2022 and June 2026. Patient feedback was gathered through discussions, questionnaires and patient story interviews and reviewed descriptively to inform service development. Results The AWPGS is the first UK service of its kind and is delivered through a multidisciplinary team including genetic counsellors, a clinical geneticist, psychiatrists, a psychiatric genomics nurse specialist and clinical scientists. Key challenges included low attendance, anxiety related to clinic attendance, and supporting informed consent in the context of cognitive impairment. Adaptations such as pre-appointment contact, flexible appointments and tailored communication strategies improved attendance from 60% to 95% and enhanced patient engagement. Multidisciplinary collaboration enhanced clinical care, facilitated capacity assessment, and supported integration with mental health services. Conclusions The AWPGS demonstrates that psychiatric genomic services can be integrated into clinical care using a flexible, patient-centred and multidisciplinary model. Genetic counselling plays a central role in supporting understanding of multifactorial risk, reducing stigma and enabling informed decision-making and patient empowerment. This model provides a transferable framework for developing similar services and highlights the importance of ongoing evaluation and service adaptation.

Item Type:	Article
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Psychology Schools > Medicine
Subjects:	R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Publisher:	BMJ
ISSN:	3050-2551
Funders:	NIHR TRC Mental Health Mission Early Psychosis Workstream, Mental Health Goals Omics Psychosis Project, Welsh Government (funder of the AWPGS)
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	9 November 2026
Date of Acceptance:	20 October 2026
Last Modified:	10 Nov 2026 09:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/190740

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item