Genetic Risk Assessment and Counselling course for nurses and midwives

The Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery at King’s College London has developed a new course for registered nurses and midwives, in partnership with the NHS Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia screening programme. The Genetic Risk Assessment and Counselling module will provide a benchmark of professional competence to those involved in counselling women and couples 'at risk' of having a child with a genetic disorder.

Julie Bliss, Head of Head of Post Qualification Education, said of the new course:

“Haemoglobinopathies, such as sickle cell and thalasseamia, affect around 14,450 people and a further 454,000 people are carriers. This new programme of learning at King’s College London will facilitate a nationally consistent, high quality, genetic and sickle cell & thalassaemia counselling service, and is the first of its kind to offer an academic credit.”

The module will enable students to inform parents about screening programmes for sickle cell and thalassaemia and other genetic conditions; provide information and counsel to couples who are at risk of having a baby with a haemoglobinopathy; and provide results to parents of babies identified as carriers.

This course is supported and funded by the NHS Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia screening programme as an accredited course for those providing counselling for couples at risk of a significant haemoglobinopathy, such as specialist HbO counsellors, specialist genetic nurses or ‘screening’ health visitors.

The Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery is also offering a study day for non specialist nurses, midwives and health visitors to support with counselling couples and providing results of genetic screening to parents.

If you wish to find out more about the course or the study day, or would like to apply, please contact course leader Joan Walters by email: joan.walters@kcl.ac.uk