Genomics is a topic that is quickly developing, and midwives and neonatal teams need to keep abreast with the changes. The Maternity and Midwifery Forum are collaborating with the NHS England Genomics Medicine Service to bring a series of sessions to inform and educate on the developments. Colette Scrace, Clinical Nurse Lead, Genomics, Genomics Unit, shares information on the forthcoming series on behalf of the group.
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The NHS England Genomics Medicine Service are delighted to be collaborating with the Maternity and midwifery forum to launch this series of events and webinars to highlight the role of genomics in maternity and neonatal services.
The aim of the series is to support and enable midwives, neonatal practitioners, maternity support workers and allied health professionals to start or continue their genomic medicine journey by hearing from midwifery experts in the use of genomics in maternity care. Some of the presentations will include case studies to illustrate the role of genomics in personalised maternity care and its importance in improving outcomes.
Genomics has been considered the future of healthcare (Yehia, End, 2023). However, it is already a fundamental pillar of midwifery practice today. Whether consciously recognised or not, genomics influences the decisions midwives make, the care they provide, and the outcomes they shape. It is no longer confined to specialist fields; rather, it is an essential component of every midwife’s role, demanding greater awareness and integration into everyday practice.
Genomics plays a vital role in enabling clinicians to support women and families in understanding and anticipating genomic information or changes that may significantly impact on the woman’s and/or her baby’s health. As such, all midwives must have sufficient genomics knowledge, confidence and skills to ensure safe clinical practice and uphold the Nursing and Midwifery Council standards of practice (NMC 2019)
While midwives may not always realise they are applying genomics in their practice, it already plays a crucial role in shaping modern maternity care (Kirwan, 2022). Some may feel uncertain about using terms such as “Genomics” or “Genomic Medicine”, yet these concepts underpin advancements in healthcare. Genomic medicine draws on insights from an individual’s complete set of DNA-the genome- alongside other health profiles to enable early and improved diagnoses and personalised treatment options or prognosis (Genomics England 2025).
This series of presentations and events will provide midwives and the multidisciplinary team with examples of genomics use across the life course of maternity care and signpost to additional education and training resources and sources of help and support.
The level of genomics knowledge and competence required will vary, depending on your role, area of practice or place of work. Midwives engaged in enhanced clinical practice or research are likely to require a greater depth of genomics knowledge.
It is important to acknowledge that midwives and the multiprofessional team are not expected to become genomics experts or genomic counsellors as a part of integrating genomics into their practice; unless they wish to undertake the additional training to become genetic counsellors. Midwives’ roles will remain within the scope of midwifery practice, and onward referral to the multi-disciplinary team as appropriate will remain key to ensuring effective and safe genomics care in maternity services (Kirwan 2022).
The first event in this series focused on the role of genomics in the initial midwifery booking appointment, exploring early detection and early action on the 30th April 2025. This presentation highlighted the importance of genomics being considered as a part of the standard risk assessment at each maternity contact, as recommended in NICE Guidance (2021) and the Ockenden report (2022). It also demonstrated how early conversations about genomics can enhance maternity experiences, fostering informed decision-making and improved outcomes.
The second presentation will provide you with the necessary information on how you can further integrate genomics into your care, using your existing skills and knowledge, thereby “From DNA to delivery and beyond: Making genomics your ally”. Come and join Jo Hargrave (Lead Midwife East GMSA) and Karen Creed (Lead Midwife C&S GMSA) in Nottingham, at the Midlands Maternity and Midwifery festival, where you can speak to them directly about how you can get involved.
The third presentation in June 2025 will explore the role of genomics in maternity bereavement pathways, focusing on women who sadly experience recurrent miscarriages or stillbirths. It will examine how genomics can contribute to understanding these losses and clarify when it may, or may not, provide definitive answers. This session aims to support informed discussions and compassionate care within bereavement pathways.
As clinicians, we provide personalised, kind and safe maternity care to all women, while also addressing health or socio-economic disparities within maternity services (NHS England 2018; Walters 2022). The Northern festival presentation in July 2025 will highlight the role of genomics in reducing health inequalities. This will focus on sickle cell disease and close relative marriage as key examples. Additionally, it will explore how genomics can aid in identifying predispositions to conditions relevant to maternity care, such as inherited cardiac conditions and diabetes. Bains et al (2024) have indicated how the delivery of an equitable genomics medicine service will play a central part to improve patient outcomes and help to reduce both the number and impact of health inequalities.
The role of genomics in postnatal care and pharmacogenomics will feature in the Wales and South West festival presentation in September 2025, highlighting how the midwife can utilise genomics to support delivery of the newborn examination ensuring early identification of potential health conditions and personalised care pathways. It will also highlight the significance of the Generation Study (Genomics England, 2022), demonstrating how large-scale genomic research contributes to improved understanding of inherited conditions, and health outcomes (Genomics England 2022). The role of pharmacogenomics is when examination of a person’s genomic make-up to identify the most effective drug for them, to minimise side effects and find the ideal dosage. All healthcare professionals involved in prescribing or administering medications will need to be aware of current and evolving pharmacogenomic landscape to ensure patient safety.
Due to the fast-paced changes occurring in genomics resulting from research, the session at the Scotland festival in November 2025 will discuss the genomics research agenda and using the example of glucokinase hyperglycaemia illustrate how genomics research is key to ensuring women and their families are offered the most current genomics care.
Glucokinase (GCK) is a gene which acts as a “glucose sensor” for the pancreas, ensuring that as blood glucose levels rise in the body, the amount of insulin produced increases to maintain blood sugars within the standard physiological range. However, this inheritable (familial) gene change in the GCK gene can lead to increase in blood glucose, which, in pregnancy can be misdiagnosed as gestational diabetes. This session will describe the work being performed to increase awareness of GCK and how it can be diagnosed in pregnancy to prevent women receiving unnecessary interventions and treatment.
Use of genomics knowledge to support the recognition of potential genomic syndromes or conditions in the postnatal and early years setting is explored at the London festival in January 2026. How genomics supports the diagnosis and care of acutely unwell babies and children will also be highlighted in this session.
The multiprofessional team including midwives are increasingly aware of and involved in preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) prior to assisted conception for genomic conditions. The session will explore the impact of genomic conditions and PGT in the psychological wellbeing people undergoing PGT may face. The potential additional anxiety these can create during pregnancy and parent’s experiences of maternity care will be discussed. Genomics, as a topic, can engender debates regarding ethics; this will be explored in a webinar in February 2026. The future of genomics and what this means for maternity care will be discussed in March 2026.
As lifelong learners, midwives need to have a foundational level of genomics knowledge as a minimum to ensure women and families receive evidence based, effective maternity care. This series of presentations will provide essential insights, highlighting the relevance of genomics in midwifery practice and offering guidance on how to integrate genomic knowledge effectively into everyday care.
Genomics is no longer an emerging discipline—it is already shaping maternity care, influencing risk assessment, diagnosis, and treatment pathways. Midwives play a pivotal role in ensuring that women and families benefit from these advancements, providing personalised, informed, and safe care at every stage of pregnancy and beyond. By embedding genomics into practice, midwives can help drive improvements in maternity services, supporting better outcomes for all.
References
Bains, M., et al Ethnic inequalities in genomics and precision medicine, 2024. NHS Rare and Health Observatory, RHO-Genomics-Report-June-2024.pdf
Genomics England, 2025. Genomics Medicine, Genomics England Genomic Medicine | Genomics England, Accessed 24th April 2025
Genomics England,2022. The Generation Study, Genomics England, Generation Study – Generation Study, Accessed 24th April 2025
Kirwan, D., 2022. Genomics in midwifery: A changing landscape, National Genomics Education Programme, Health Education England, Genomics in midwifery: A changing landscape – Genomics Education Programme
National Institute of Health and Care Excellence, 2021, Antenatal care, NICE, Recommendations | Antenatal care | Guidance | NICE
NHS England, 2016. National Maternity Review. Better Births; Improving outcomes of maternity services in England, NHS England, NHS England » Better Births: Improving outcomes of maternity services in England – A Five Year Forward View for maternity care
Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2019. Standards of Proficiency for midwives, NMC, https://www.nmc.org.uk/globalassets/sitedocuments/standards/2024/standards-of-proficiency-for-midwives.pdf
Ockenden, D. 2022. Final report of the Ockenden Review, Department of Health and Social Care, Final report of the Ockenden review – GOV.UK, accessed 24.4.2025
Walters, G. 2022 Challenging health inequalities in maternity services: the role we all play, Nursing and Midwifery Council, Challenging health inequalities in maternity services: the role we all play – The Nursing and Midwifery Council. Accessed 24th April 2025
Yehia, L., End, C. Genetics and genomics in healthcare: the future is now 2023. Singapore Medicine Journal, 2021, 19;64(1):4–6. oi: 10.4103/SINGAPOREMEDJ.SMJ-2021-346
Colette Scrace (RGN, RM, BSc, MSc, PG Cert), Clinical Lead Nurse for Genomics,
NHS England, Genomics Unit
Waheeda Abbas, Lead Midwife North West Genomics Medicine Service Alliance
Denise Barnes, North East and Yorkshire Genomics Medicine Service
Karen Creed, Lead Midwife, Central and South Genomics Medicine Service
Joanne Hargrave, Lead Midwife – East Genomic Medicine Service Alliance
Tina Prendeville, North Thames Genomics Medicine Service Alliance, Imperial College, London
May 2025