Genetic Counsellor | University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

University Hospital Southampton NHS FT; Southampton; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 43,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading NHS foundation trust in Southampton is seeking a Genetic Counsellor for a 12-month fixed-term position. This role involves providing comprehensive genetic counselling, supporting families dealing with cancer predisposition conditions. Candidates must have relevant qualifications in genetic counselling and a passion for patient-focused care. The successful applicant will join a dynamic team and engage in professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Learning and development opportunities

Support for continued professional development

Opportunity to participate in research

Qualifications

• Completed an STP in Genetic counselling or MSc in Genetic Counselling.
• Registered with AHCS or similar professional body.
• Experience in providing patient-focused genetic counselling.

Responsibilities

• Provide patient-focused genetic counselling.
• Support patients in understanding hereditary conditions.
• Participate in research, audit, and teaching.

Skills

Genetic counselling

Communication skills

Research participation

Education

MSc Genetic Counselling

BSc/BA in a relevant subject

Job description

Overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us. Wessex Clinical Genetics Service is recruiting a Band 7 Genetic Counsellor for 18 hours per week for a 12 month fixed-term post, with a focus on cancer genetics.

This post forms part of NHS genetic services as they move to a national genomic medicine service and transform care for people with rare diseases and cancer. This is an exciting opportunity to join an established and dynamic genetic counselling team as it enters this new era of genomic medicine.

About the team

Wessex Clinical Genetics Service is a regional specialist service providing a high-quality genetic counselling service (Rare Disease, Cardiac, Cancer and Prenatal) and consultancy for a population of three million in the Wessex Region (Hampshire, Dorset, South Wiltshire and Isle of Wight). We are part of the Central and South NHS Genomic Medicine Service Alliance. We are an innovative centre and were appointed as a Genomic Medicine Centre as part of the 100,000 Genome Project. We host the Scientific Training Programme (STP) in Genomic Counselling and deliver the MSc in Genomic Medicine. We regularly host MSc students and STP trainees as part of our commitment to teaching and supporting the growth of the profession.

University Hospital Southampton is one of England\'s largest acute teaching Trusts, offering a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support your career aspirations. Located on the south coast with an international airport and direct rail links to London, Southampton offers an ideal setting to live and work, with the New Forest, South Downs and Jurassic Coast.

What you’ll do

• With guidance from the Principal Genetic Counsellors and medical team, help individuals and families deal with a genetic disorder by supporting the clients and their families to:
• Comprehend the medical facts, including the diagnosis, probable course of the disorder, and the available management
• Appreciate the way heredity contributes to the disorder, and the risk of recurrence in relatives
• Understand the alternatives for dealing with the risk of recurrence
• Help the clients choose the course of action which seems to them most appropriate
• Make the best possible adjustment to the disorder in an affected family member and/or the risk of recurrence of that disorder

This is a challenging, autonomous role and you will be responsible for your own caseload providing patient-focused genetic counselling to families for a broad range of cancer predisposition conditions and predictive testing. You will also be expected to participate in research, audit, teaching and education. As a team we are committed to continued professional development and education and will support opportunities to do this.

What we’re looking for

• Applicants with one of the following qualifications:
• Completed an STP in Genomic counselling (either with HCPC registration or pending)
• OR MSc Genetic Counselling (following BSc/BA in a relevant subject) and registered with AHCS (Genetic Counsellor)
• OR RGN, RMN or similar with a BSc/BA or MSc in a relevant subject and registered with AHCS (Genetic counsellor)
• We also welcome applications from recent MSc Graduates without experience, and if successful will remunerate at Band 6 Trainee level until competences (i.e. GCRAB registration) are met.

For an overview of the main duties of the role please see the ‘Job Description and Main Responsibilities’ section below. To understand the day-to-day responsibilities in more detail please read the full job description document attached.

This advert closes on Thursday 9 Oct 2025