Watch new ‘perspectives’ film series online

Patients present three different stories of the power,  potential and pitfalls of genomic testing

A new patient film series developed by NHS England’s National Genomics Education Programme is now available to view online.

The collection, ‘My genomics journey’, has been created to foreground the real-life impact of genomic testing for patients and to highlight the wide range of experiences families can have when undergoing it.

Three stories

Across the series, we meet Isobel, who coughed up blood after an otherwise healthy life; Loretta, who suffered from mysterious neuropathic pain since childhood; and Tom, who had a family history of bowel cancer. We learn how they each underwent genomic testing through the NHS and received diagnoses that helped to support them.

Each patient speaks candidly about their experiences around genomic testing in the NHS – both positive and negative – and touches on what future healthcare professionals might do to better support others in the future.

A link to each individual film is available below:

Other films available

In addition, learners can watch a montage film of all three patient stories, originally commissioned for last year’s International Genomics Education and Training Summit in Cambridge, and now included as part of this collection.

Although Isobel, Loretta and Tom all received diagnoses for their conditions, this is not always the outcome when undertaking genomic testing, and patients can be left without an answer. Learners may also wish to watch this film, that shines a light on the challenges a family can face during a long diagnostic odyssey.

To view a full list of our films, including interviews with patients and experts, as well as animations for learners and educators, visit our Education resource hub.