GeNotes: genomic notes for clinicians

GeNotes aims to help clinicians make the right genomics decisions at each stage of a clinical pathway

About GeNotes

GeNotes – genomic notes for clinicians – is a ‘just in time’ educational resource for healthcare professionals, designed to be used in a clinical setting.

Subject matter experts across the NHS are working in collaboration with NHS England’s Genomics Education Programme to develop this resource.

With content available in two ‘tiers’, GeNotes provides clinicians with educational information at the point of need, with opportunities for extended learning.

In the Clinic

Tier 1, or In the Clinic, articles are centred around the point of patient care and feature a clinical scenario. They comprise two types of resources: one for the presentation/testing stage, and another for the results stage.

The testing resources are aligned to the National Genomic Test Directory and are designed to a template where the clinician can first ‘locate’ themselves through a generic clinical scenario, then check whether their patient is eligible for testing, and then access information on how to request testing.

The results-focused resources educate a clinician about the different types of results that may be returned and how these should or could be actioned: clinically actionable; variants of uncertain significance; no clinically actionable variant identified; and incidental findings.

In the Clinic articles are typically text-based, following a set template, and written as concisely as possible to allow for quick, efficient learning either before or during a clinic appointment.

Knowledge Hub

Tier 2, or the Knowledge Hub, acts as an encyclopaedia of resources that can be accessed either via a link embedded in tier 1 or independently.

There are different types of resources within the Knowledge Hub, including resources around conditions, genes, inheritance patterns, genomic technologies, communication resources, and the GMSA/GLH structure. These resources have a flexible structure that can feature a range of different media including text, images, narrated slide decks, infographics, filmed interviews and animations.

For those who have previously undertaken a MOOC (massive open online course) on FutureLearn, the Knowledge Hub can be seen as a ‘muddled-up MOOC’, where the individual learner can chart a bespoke learning journey reflecting their educational requirements and interests.

GeNotes is also designed to link to external resources. It signposts to management guidelines (including NICE), external educational resources and curricula, as well as resources for clinicians to share with their patients.

How to develop a GeNotes resource

If you are interested in developing a resource for GeNotes that can be shared nationally, please follow these steps.

1. Consider resources to address gaps in competency

You may have observed a genomics learning need within your professional group or specialty, or have identified the skills and knowledge required to deliver a clinical pathway as part of the Clinical Pathway Initiative.

The first step, then, is to consider what educational resources would address these learning needs and whether GeNotes is a suitable format for these resources.

2. Is this a Tier 1 or Tier 2 resource?

List the types of GeNotes resource(s) you will need to create. Are they:

  • In the Clinic (tier 1): a scenario-based summary centred around either ordering a genomic test or feeding back results; or
  • Knowledge Base (tier 2): further learning to underpin tier 1 content, which could be text and/or multimedia based?

In some cases, you might develop tier 1 scenario(s) and accompanying linked tier 2 resource(s).

3. Contact the specialty working group

You can contact the specialty working group* via the GEP to outline your proposed resources. This is important to ensure that:

  1. you have the appropriate support to develop the resource to template;
  2. the resource(s) haven’t already been developed; and
  3. the resource enters the GeNotes editorial process.

* See below for a list of current working groups. If a group hasn’t yet been established for the specialty area for which you want to develop a resource, please contact the team and we will endeavour to progress your resource through the editorial process.

4. Develop resource(s) for upload and dissemination

Please develop the resource as per the GeNotes templates and ensure that your name and the names of any other contributors are included so that you can be properly acknowledged.

As part of the editorial process, you may be contacted with queries or asked to check the final article before publication. Please also indicate whether you would be happy to be contacted in the future to review and update the resource(s).

The working groups

We are delighted to be working with subject matter experts across the NHS as part of our working groups in the following specialties:

  • cardiology;
  • dermatology;
  • endocrinology;
  • fetal and women’s health;
  • haemato-oncology;
  • mental health;
  • nephrology;
  • oncology;
  • paediatrics;
  • pharmacogenomics;
  • primary care; and
  • neurology.

GeNotes is now available for many of these specialties, with further specialties to be launched on the platform in the coming months.

If you would like to see your clinical specialty included and would be willing to contribute to a working group, please contact the GeNotes team.

Contact us

If you have any questions about GeNotes, the beta testing or the working groups, please get in touch.

Last updated on 28th May 2025