Yorkshire regional genetics service – Leeds
The department of clinical genetics is based at Chapel Allerton Hospital in Leeds. It provides a specialist diagnostic and counselling service for patients affected by, or at risk of, genetic conditions. The Cytogenetics and DNA laboratories are located at St James’s University Hospital. Clinical genetic services run central and district genetic counselling services.
There are general genetic clinics for adults, general genetic clinics for children and cancer genetic clinics. In addition to this, there are sub-specialty clinics in childhood cancers, Huntington’s disease, ophthalmology, cardiac, skeletal, neurofibromatosis, Von-Hippel Lindau, cranio-facial surgery, prenatal and pre-implantation genetic diagnostic clinics. Attendance at other specialist clinics such as tuberous sclerosis, Fetal Medicine and Haematology is encouraged.
Yorkshire regional genetics service holds clinics in the following hospitals:
- Chapel Allerton Hospital
- Leeds General Infirmary
- St James’s University Hospital
- Pinderfields Hospital
- Pontefract Hospital
- Dewsbury and District Hospital
- Calderdale Royal Hospital
- Huddersfield Royal Infirmary
- Bradford Royal Infirmary
- Harrogate District Hospital
- Friarage Hospital
- York Hospital
- Scarborough Hospital
- Hull Royal Infirmary
- Castle Hill Hospital
- Scunthorpe General Hospital
- Airedale Hospital
- Wharfedale Hospital
- Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital
Referrals to the Regional Service are made by general practitioners and hospital specialists throughout the Yorkshire and Humber region and some bordering areas. Referrals made to the service are allocated to the most appropriate clinic according to the special interests of the consultants, the urgency of the request and the location of an appropriate peripheral clinic. The administrative activities of the service are undertaken by staff at Chapel Allerton Hospital. Family genetic records are kept within the department.
The Clinical Genetics service staff comprise 11 Consultant Clinical Geneticists, covering a wide range of special interests:
|
Name |
Position |
Interests |
|
Dr Emma Hobson |
Consultant |
Huntington’s disease, paediatric and adult genetics |
|
Dr Julian Adlard |
Consultant |
Cancer |
|
Dr Angus Dobbie |
Consultant |
NF1, prenatal and adult genetics |
|
Dr Moira Blyth |
Consultant |
Paediatric genetics and medical education |
|
Dr Alison Kraus |
Consultant |
Cancer, Huntington’s disease, Dysmorphology and adult genetics |
|
Dr Katrina Prescott |
Consultant |
Cardiac genetics, eye genetics, prenatal genetics, dysmorphology |
|
Prof Eamonn Sheridan |
Consultant |
Dysmorphology |
|
|
||
|
Prof David Bonthron |
Consultant |
Craniofacial and paediatric genetics |
|
Dr Jennifer Campbell |
Consultant |
Skeletal dysplasias, Adult and prenatal genetics |
|
Dr Rosalyn Jewell |
Consultant |
Adult and paediatric cancer, inherited cardiac conditions, dysmorphology and general genetics |
|
Dr Jude Hayward |
GP with special interest in genetics/Genomics |
Cancer and adult genetics Primary Care Liaison and service development |
|
Dr Schaida Schirwani |
Specialty registrar |
|
|
Dr Zena Lam |
Specialty registrar |
|
Anyone thinking of training in Clinical Genetics is welcome to contact us and or to speak with our current trainees or those who have recently completed their training and been appointed as Consultants.
Training Programme Director & Regional Advisor
Dr Emma Hobson
Department of Clinical Genetics,
Yorkshire Regional Clinical Genetics Service
Ward 10, Floor 3
Chapel Allerton Hospital
Harehills Lane,
Leeds,
LS7 4SA
Email address: emma.hobson@nhs.net
Training in Clinical Genetics:
Entry to the specialty is at ST3 level. Completion of Foundation year competencies and of those in core medical training (CMT1 and 2) or level 1 paediatrics is essential. A broad range of experience in acute general medicine and/or paediatrics with exposure to unselected medical take is essential. MRCP, MRCPCH or equivalent are essential. The training programme in clinical genetics is four years (subject to satisfactory ARCPs), of which at least three years must be clinical training during which experience will be gained in all aspects of clinical genetics. There are opportunities for involvement in research, small projects or full-time for either MD or PhD as out of programme research training.
The formal working hours are 9am to 5pm. Some flexibility is required to allow for travelling time to peripheral hospital.
This is a 4 year training programme based at the Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
Clinical Geneticists are involved in diagnosing and managing individuals and families with inherited disorders. We have educational approval for two trainees. Although we are based within a Children’s Hospital, we are not restricted to a particular age range, seeing both adults and children. Our broad categories of work include:
- Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and pre-natal diagnosis;
- Dysmorphology;
- Inherited Cardiac Conditions;
- Cancer Genetics;
- Neurogenetics;
- Skeletal Dysplasia.
- We are also involved in multidisciplinary working with a number of specialist clinics in Sheffield.
We work on a hub and spoke basis with peripheral clinics at the following sites:
| Sheffield Children’s Hospital | Ante-natal Clinic at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital |
| Chesterfield Royal Hospital | Bassetlaw Hospital, Worksop |
| Doncaster Royal Infirmary | Barnsley District General Hospital |
| Rotherham District General Hospital | Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby |
Our Medical Staff are:
- Dr Balasubramanian Special interest in dysmorphology and osteogenesis imperfecta
- Dr Cook special interest in Cancer Genetics
- Dr Johnson special interest in Dysmorphology and skeletal dysplasia
- Dr Parker special interest in Dysmorphology
- Dr Quarrell special interest in neurogenetics and local lead for the pre-natal service
- Dr Sobey (Consultant Dermatologist) who runs one of two national clinics for families with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
- Dr Alison Stewart special interest in dysmorphology and cancer genetics
- Dr Alisdair McNeill INSIGNEO Senior Clinical Fellow University of Sheffield & Honorary Consultant in Clinical Genetics
We work very closely with 7 genetic counsellors and secretarial staff with whom we are co-located within the hospital. We liaise closely with the molecular (DNA), cytogenetic and paediatric pathology laboratories which are also based at the Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
Trainees usually join the programme having obtained either MRCP or MRCPCH. We are a clinical discipline but clinical geneticists need to liaise closely with laboratory staff; therefore, we arrange short attachments to the laboratories in the first year of training. Trainees must see the whole range of clinical work so we organise the training into 6 month blocks with a specific clinical supervisor.
Trainees are encouraged to attend national genetics meetings, regional dysmorphology meetings and the London Dysmorphology Club. This allows regular contact with other clinical genetic trainees in the country. Previous trainees have been able to publish papers based on their work in the department and had opportunities to attend international meetings; in addition, they have arranged short periods of training at other centres based on their own personal preferences.
We participate in national and international research activities.
Anyone thinking of training in Clinical Genetics is welcome to contact us and or to speak with our current trainees or those who have recently completed their training and been appointed as Consultants.
From an organisational perspective we are part of the Diagnostics Directorate of the Sheffield Children’s Hospital and within Health Education England - Yorkshire and the Humber are part of the School of Medicine.
Training Programme Director
Dr Emma Hobson
Department of Clinical Genetics, Yorkshire Regional Genetics Service, Ward 10, Floor 3, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds, LS7 4SA
Email: emma.hobson@nhs.net
Regional Advisor
Dr Michael Parker
Department of Clinical Genetics, Sheffield Clinical Genetics Service, OPD2, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, S5 7AU
E-mail: michael.parker@sch.nhs.uk