Genetics

Making a referral

We accept direct referrals from GPs and other health professionals. Please send your referral by email. Please note, we are no longer accepting paper referrals. Please include:

• GP details and patient details (including NHS number)
• all relevant reports and letters
• a completed family history form
• a completed referral form from the list below, if applicable

Please consider:

• referring your patient to a regional genetics clinic when they're diagnosed with a genetic condition and at relevant times after diagnosis
• referring your patient as early as possible in pregnancy, preferably pre-conception
• referring relatives of patients with genetic conditions to discuss future health and reproductive choices

Referrals from south east London

We accept direct referrals for patients in south east London from GPs and other health professionals including:

• midwives
• oncologists
• neurologists

Inpatient referrals

Please make a referral for clinical genetics ward round if there are inpatient diagnostic or management implications for this review.

Complete the clinical genetics ward round referral form and then contact the specialist registrar on-call to discuss the case and agree a time.

Urgent referrals

To make an urgent referral please call us to discuss the referral, then email the urgent referral form to us. Include details of the affected individual and their relationship to your patient. We can offer patients who need an urgent referral an appointment within 1 week.

Prenatal referrals should be marked as urgent.

We do not accept emergency referrals.

Making a referral on Quest Genomics

Quest Genomics is now available for clinicians in our region. This tool can be used to complete patient risk assessments and determine which patients need to be referred to clinical genetics. It is currently available for oncology indications, but more indications will be added on an ongoing basis.

Visit the Quest Genomics website to find out more and make a referral.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) genetic testing process

We are no longer accepting cystic fibrosis (CF) carrier testing referrals. A CF carrier test is easy to request and can be done locally.

Please visit the NHS South East Genomic website for the non-WGS genetic test request form.

When completing the form:

• enter test code R185
• mark as routine (non-pregnant patients) or urgent (pregnant patients)
• provide ethnicity of patient
• provide a copy of familial variant report or details - if possible, provide a name and date of birth for the family member who is a carrier of cystic fibrosis and a copy of their genetic report. If you do not provide this the laboratory cannot be certain that the correct CF gene alteration has been tested for

To find out if your patient is eligible, please see the national genomic test directory.

Results

Results will be available in 6 weeks for routine testing and 2 weeks for urgent testing. We'll email the results to you. Please discuss the results with your patient.

If you have any queries, please email gstt.geneticscorrespondence@nhs.net.

If your patient is not a confirmed carrier a genetics referral is not needed

If your patient is a confirmed carrier consider testing your patient's partner. A genetics referral is not needed unless their partner is also a carrier. Encourage your patient to share this information with family members, so they can be tested.

If your patient and their partner are confirmed carriers refer your patient to our genetics service. If your patient is pregnant, check plan with genetics within 5 working days.