General Genetics

• Families with a known condition eg Huntington's Disease, muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, fragile X.
  
  
• Children who have a special combination of features and/or delay with their development . The diagnosis may be uncertain and the family or doctors wondering if there may be a genetic condition to account for the child's problems.
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• Couples who have experienced pregnancy loss.
  
  
• Couples who are close blood relatives.
  
  
• Individuals concerned as particular types of cancer have occurred in close relatives.

Our main referrals come from Consultants, GP's and Community Paediatricians. However, we are happy to take appropriate referrals from other specialists allied to medicine.

As mentioned our clinics are based at various hospitals in Merseyside and Cheshire. We also have an emergency clinic available at Liverpool Women's Hospital every week to see pregnant women who are concerned about a genetic condition in their family, or who already have a child with a genetic problem.

How does Genetic Counselling Help Families?

• By making or confirming a diagnosis.
  
  
• Providing understandable information about the condition.
  
  
• Discussing risks of becoming affected with the condition in the future.
  
  
• Discussing the risks to future children.
  
  
• Explaining types of testing or screening available.
  
  
• Talking about ways of coping with the condition or risk of a condition and what support is available.

Cancer Services
Types of referral, family history of:
Breast cancer,
Breast and ovarian cancer,
Gastroenterology cancers,
Genetic Syndromes associated with a high cancer risk.

The cancer genetics service offers both a postal TRIAGE service for GP's where the risk is expected to be low or moderate and a Cancer Genetic Counselling Service for families with complex histories, high risk or who would benefit from psychosocial assessment.

Research
The Clinical Service is involved in many research projects and provides a research based service. If you are interested in the range of research interests of staff, and the studies currently recruiting click here