AGNC Committee minutes 23.6.14
St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester
Apologies: AM
Present: Laura Boyes (Chair), Anita Bruce (Vice Chair), Peter Marks (Secretary), Liwsi Kim Protheroe-Davies (Treasurer), Oonagh Claber, Claire Giffney (New GC rep), Catherine Houghton, Cath King
Matters arising from previous mins:
Email list up to date. Sara Levene looking into Yahoo group.
Laura to liaise with Phil regarding BSGM name change in AGNC constitution.
Logos. At AGNC AGM, this was mentioned re: Cindy email address. To check AGM minutes.
Website feedback. Requests for feedback to be published via BSGM newsletter.
Judith Edhouse directly chasing members who need to provide feedback from conferences.
LK – SAGE package up and running and successful so far.
CK/AB – converting MS Money files to Excel. To be completed by next meeting.
RAPID newsletter on website. PM completed newsletter for BSGM.
Conference registration. ?BSGM to take payment for registration at point of registration via PayPal/credit card. Re-claiming unpaid fees difficult (CK). OC suggested possible voiding of membership if conference fee unpaid. Dina chasing a non-attender at present for unpaid fee (LK). ?AGNC committee to intervene on behalf of Dina (LB). Suggestion to write to individual concerned. LK to write. OC suggested general email to members about attendance/payment.
Committee future elections – need more robust system, though there were no concerns regarding data this time. PM to liaise with Dina regarding whether BSGM developing online voting system that we could use. Will need this system in 12 months’ time.
Future meeting venues. Bham sorted for next time. AB looking to use GOSH but board room is used in event of major incident so need to clarify. November 11th meeting. AB to confirm date of lead GC meeting, which will be either day before or after.
IF statement up to date on website.
Chair’s report
To be submitted. All agreed that plan for chair of BSGM sensible. LB to have informal conversation with appropriate candidate(s) for this position.
BSGM conference attendance/funding discussed. Need to encourage members to attend challenging/scientific sessions so workforce more prepared for future changes to practice. Mixed symposia generally felt to be more successful in this respect.
National lab restructuring projected to be completed by July 2015.
Suggestion to write article for Health Service Journal re: AVR. To be discussed at Joint Meeting tomorrow.
Vice-chair’s report
To be submitted. AB to liaise with Alison Male re: role for GCs in drawing up guidelines/documentation for reporting of Ifs. ?potential role for AM (our AM) in future.
Treasurer’s report
Already submitted. Around £6000 profit on spring meeting this year. DoH training fund. LK suggested that DoH Training Panel organise own expenses from fund. Rhona MacLeod has signed up for internet banking. LK suggested changing bank accounts due to administrative burden at present with Santander. LK to review this. PM to add treasurer role to agenda for next meeting. Will need period of shadowing – could coincide transition with change of bank account. Discussed need to continue with Scottish Widows account. LB suggested ?subsidising some form of training for workforce such as a bioinformatics training day ?additional day at existing meeting. To further discuss at Joint Meeting tomorrow.
Data storage/passwords AB
Following laptop being stolen, AB wondered about data protection for AGNC documents. Minutes in public domain anyway. To think about this. Can store on Google Drive, for backup purposes. LB suggested ?terms of reference for information sharing around group. Consider this a ‘near miss’ incident. AB to draw up terms of reference for handling of data for committee. Include glossary of acronyms for all the various allied/NHS organisations.
CRG Feedback/Representation OC
Not much additional to feedback. OC happy to do next teleconference in July. Tends to be 5pm every couple of months. Plan is to alternate teleconference and face to face meetings. Next meeting to be attended in London will be in September. LB happy to attend in short term with ?PH to take over in longer term. Funding for BRCA testing a major issue (in terms of being in line with NICE).
Vision Statement LB
Vision statement complete. Went to BSGM council and JCGM. Two responses – one from Caroline Benjamin and one from Liz Ormondroyd. Both interested in future work around specialist nurses/cardiac specialists. Discussed at GOSH dept meeting (AB) – no negative feedback reported. Georgie Hall suggested ?scoping exercise with this statement in mind and the need to translate the theory into practice. To discuss further at Joint Meeting tomorrow. Need to think now about how to use this document for workforce planning ahead of lead GC meeting in November.
Specialist Genetic Nurses LB
Mainstreaming agenda and HEE offering possible training route (MSc Genomic Healthcare) for specialist nurses with an interest in genetics but not working within Clinical Genetics. Discussion about our involvement with them. LK suggested ?linking with Maggie Kirk and having input into genetics training of nurses. PH noted not enough education for specialist nurses to feel confident in taking on work around genetics. Some use Heather Skirton’s e-learning. LB suggested embracing the HEE model of education and trying to be involved. LK to liaise with Maggie Kirk and PH to ?be involved with in future. PH suggested we may struggle to recruit nurses to be GCs in future. Could obtain data around nurse recruitment in centres (Lead GCs survey), and nurse recruitment to MSc Genetic Counselling course (course leaders). LB suggested input into HEE MSc to suggest modules approach rather than whole MSc as doubts about nurses applying for these. PM or LB to liaise with Trevor Cole re: possible AGNC role in teaching.
Bioinformatics and Genomics Education for GCs LB
Already addressed and to be addressed at Joint Meeting tomorrow.
100K Genomes/GEL LB
As above. Need to stay aware of developments with this project. LB suggested ?letter to Mark Bale (civil servant) about GC involvement.
Genomic Sequencing Conference PM
Genetic Alliance conference on 1st July. PM keen to attend. Also, a GEL webcast on 27th June 4-6pm. ?AM attending.
Job Plans AB
Local meeting GOSH. ?need to review these. Discussed at Lead GC meeting and consensus was no need for review. To use them as guideline only, particular as terms of reference for safe practice. The important issue is how they are implemented locally. LB suggested raising at CRG. LB also suggested email work around three useful questions each to ask on Lead GC survey to address workforce, service delivery and future/vision statement/training. Deadline end of July – all committee members to contribute.
Workforce Planning LB
Not good access to workforce planning data. Need to improve this. To liaise with Centre for Workforce Intelligence? Need accurate way to predict shortfalls in workforce eg. due to retirement, maternity leave etc. AB volunteered to contact NSGC in America to try to find out how they generate this data. ?Caroline Benjamin appropriate person to research this – LB to email her. Committee to think about other suitable people to be involved.
ESHG 2015 LB
Mark Longmuir is rep for this year. Need suggestions for symposia/sessions for GCs. Though not an EMPAG year there will be more in the way of psychosocial sessions. PH suggested prenatal arrays. CK suggested ethical implications of results from new technologies. AB suggested GCs presenting difficult cases that they have led on. LB suggested ?AGNC taking over session at ESHG. Maybe a session on evolution of training of GCs in UK. All committee members to email LB for compilation of ideas to send to Mark L.
Skill Mix LB
In response to workload and difficulty recruiting, multiple projects emerging involving lower band staff helping to relieve GC workload. OC described work of GRAPs in Newcastle cancer service. All cancer referrals triaged by GRAPs. LB asked if AGNC should be collating results of these projects. PM suggested representatives for each project present their work and AB suggested sharing of these projects, nationally. ?future spring meeting session on ‘shaping services’. PH gave example of Liverpool dept using bounce letters to reject referrals for HHC, AATD and CF carrier testing. LB suggested Judith Edhouse promoting feature in BSGM newsletter for ‘sharing good practice’. PM to ask Jude to email out about this to membership. LB also suggested article alongside this to overview historical examples eg. HCAs, midwifery assistants. LB to consider AGNC statement regarding this.
Trainee GC Title LB
Lead GC meeting consensus was for ‘pre-registration GC’ as suitable title for band 6 GCs. To further discuss at Joint Meeting tomorrow.
NIHR Grants LB
Caroline Benjamin emailed about this. LB wonders if we should revisit trying to ask NIHR to be considered as profession eligible for grants. LB to obtain previous letter of this nature from Mark L.
Trainee Day CG
Twenty trainees to attend trainee day on 25th June. Majority have been in practice <12 months. LB suggested AGNC representative to attend briefly to inform re: AGNC. PM offered to do this in afternoon session.
Election for New GC Rep CG
CG to request expressions of interest from trainee group then use Survey Monkey or similar format to hold election. New rep to observe at next meeting in November.
Should be regular agenda item for trainee issues. PM to add.
BenchmarkingPM/CH
Discussed examples from NSGC and ACGS. LB suggested developing a best practice guideline for non-neurological predictive testing (conditions with interventions/treatments/surveillance) eg. cancer, cardiomyopathies/arrhythmias, myotonic dystrophy. PM and CH to develop plan and LB suggested working group. OC and CK happy to be involved. Also, LB suggested Amy Taylor from Cambridge who has interest in this area. Any suggestions for others to be involved welcome.
AOB
OC – Newcastle Trust has removed need for dual registration for GCs from nursing background. LK suggested anyone with lapsed registration would need union representation.
The committee thanked OC and CK for their hard work and dedication during their terms. PH was welcomed to the committee at start of meeting.
Date of next meetings: 10th, 11th November at GOSH, London. AB to organise.