Draft Genetic Health WA Service Plan

The Office of Population Health Genomics (OPHG) asked stakeholders for their feedback on the content of the draft Genetic Health Western Australia (GHWA) Service Plan 2025-2030 (the Plan), which has been developed to guide GHWA’s delivery of clinical genomic specialty services over the next 5 years.

We asked for stakeholders’ opinions on:

• The proposed future service model for GHWA,
• The appropriateness of the service directions and underlying objectives, and
• Whether the proposed actions will collectively ensure that the objectives of each service direction are achieved.

A total of 23 responses to the survey were received through Citizen Space and 3 written submissions were received via email. The feedback received was positive overall, with some additional areas for GHWA to focus on in the future suggested by respondents. The key themes that emerged from the responses are summarised below.  

Increased accessibility for clinical genomic specialty services

• 8 respondents raised the improvement of access to genomic testing and/or GHWA’s services as a priority for the future.
• Common suggestions included expanding eligibility for genomic testing for certain consumer groups and enabling timelier access to GHWA’s services. 

Expanding collaborations with stakeholders

• 6 respondents suggested that GHWA should partner or engage with other health service providers and/or community groups to improve service accessibility and coordination of care.
• Suggested collaborators included health consumers, primary care professionals, specialty services in other hospitals, and interstate or national education and advocacy bodies.

Raising awareness of GHWA’s services

• 5 respondents highlighted the need to raise consumers’ and health professionals’ awareness of GHWA and its services.
• It was noted that this can help to increase trust in and improve consumer access to GHWA.

Staff training, recruitment, and retention

• 5 respondents emphasised the importance of GHWA’s specialised workforce being appropriately trained, recruited and retained to meet the demand for genomic services.
• Specific suggestions to achieve this included supporting genetic counsellor trainees, providing staff with opportunities to gain regional experience, and ensuring attractive working conditions.
• It was also recommended that GHWA utilise other health professionals (e.g., general practitioners, nurses) to deliver services and relieve pressure on GHWA.  

Other issues that multiple stakeholders felt were important to action in the Plan included:

• Improving equity of access and cultural safety for Aboriginal people.
• Addressing concerns around genomic data privacy and trust in the service.
• Providing ongoing psychosocial support for consumers.
• Securing sufficient resourcing to successfully implement the Plan.

In response to the feedback, the Plan has been amended as follows:

• The principles of genomic health care from the WA Genomics Strategy 2022-2032 have been included to: highlight that any new services GHWA provide must be informed by scientific evidence (of utility and cost effectiveness) and community need; ensure that GHWA continues to empower consumers to participate in decision-making around their genomic healthcare; and emphasise the need for GHWA to continue to uphold genomic data privacy and informed consent.
• Specific stakeholders for GHWA to work with when implementing actions have been removed in preference for emphasising that meaningful partnerships and collaborations with all stakeholders (including consumers and carers) will be necessary to successfully implement the Plan. This will ensure a consistent and inclusive approach to stakeholder engagement which considers the specific aims, resources available, and timeframe for each implementation project.
• Approaches to address genomic health equity for Aboriginal people have been strengthened.
• It has been clarified that GHWA’s likely future role in supporting the implementation of precision medicine approaches into the WA health system will be informed by their expertise.
• The Plan already outlines actions related to GHWA improving psychosocial support for consumers by directing consumers to relevant support groups and services and coordinating care and managing complex psychosocial support needs for certain consumer groups. However, it has been clarified that GHWA’s role in care coordination will predominantly be limited to medical care for a consumer’s genetic condition where there is no ‘home’ medical specialty. 
• Recognised enablers (previously introduced in the ‘Future considerations’ section) such as sustainable investment, meaningful partnerships and collaboration, and accountability, roles, and responsibility have been listed in the Executive Summary to highlight their importance for successfully implementing the Service Plan.

Respondents’ specific suggestions for how to implement actions (e.g., raising awareness of the service, collaborating with stakeholders, and improving staff retention) were noted by the OPHG and GHWA for consideration when implementing the Plan.

The final Genetic Health WA Service Plan 2025-2030 is now available to view on GHWA’s webpage here.  

Any queries can be directed to genomics@health.wa.gov.au.