Sickle cell and thalassaemia screening: education and training
Training and continuing professional development for people working in the sickle cell and thalassaemia screening programme in England.
This guide sets out education and training resources available to healthcare professionals working in the sickle cell and thalassaemia (SCT) screening programme.
elearning
Most elearning developed by the NHS screening programmes is available on the elearning for healthcare (elfh) website.
elearning for GPs
Complete the British Medical Journal antenatal and newborn screening module to learn about:
- the principles of screening and how they are applied in practice
- what screening programmes are available
- how to advise patients about the timing of screening tests
Haemoglobinopathies update study days
For information about forthcoming haemoglobinopathies update study days please contact [email protected].
Genetic risk assessment and counselling module
KCL Genetic Risk Assessment and Counselling Module: 4 and 5 May, 8 and 9 June 2023
The NHS Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Screening Programme, in partnership with Kings College London, is pleased to announce the return of the Genetic Risk Assessment and Counselling Module this summer.
Kings College London offer this module for professionals who provide counselling and prenatal diagnosis (PND) to women and couples at-risk of having a child with sickle cell disease or thalassaemia.
The module is worth 30 credits at master’s degree level and is designed to give an in-depth knowledge of haemoglobin disorders and the practical applications of genetics in health care, including:
- genetic testing
- prevention of genetic disorders
- prenatal diagnosis and genetic counselling
The module will be taught over 4 days: 4 and 5 May, 8 and 9 June 2023. Teaching will be face to face, at Kings College London.
Funding
You may be able to apply to your Trust for funding. It’s worth applying as soon as possible to find out if this is the case.
A small number of bursaries may also be available from the programme. If you would like to apply for funding from the screening programme, please send a short Expression of Interest to [email protected] by Monday 16th January 2023.
Please note that, due to demand and the small number of bursaries, funding is awarded on the basis of training need Trust to Trust.
To be eligible for screening programme funding, applicants should:
- offer counselling and prenatal diagnosis (PND) to women and couples at-risk of having a child with sickle cell disease or thalassaemia;
- have Trust support to attend
- be able to attend all four days
- apply to Kings College London separately for a place on the course (distinct from a bursary)
You can apply for a place via the Kings College London short courses catalogue. The application page for this course will be open from mid-January to March 2023. If you are interested, please save it in your favourites and check it out nearer the time!
For any other queries please contact the screening helpdesk.
Laboratory workshop days
These one day workshops are for bench level staff and haematology laboratory managers. They include:
- a programme and laboratory update
- quality assurance update
- a clinical talk
- interactive case studies
- an open forum
There is no cost for this training day. For further details please contact the screening helpdesk.
Counselling
The sickle cell and thalassaemia counselling knowledge and skills guidance describes the knowledge and skills required by health professionals who provide counselling for families at risk of sickle cell disease, thalassaemia and other haemoglobinopathies identified by SCT screening.
It includes:
- knowledge and skills guide detailing the counselling skills and learning outcomes required across 8 core competences
- an assessment record learners can print out or complete online
Education and training: all programmes
Read and download education and training resources for all screening programmes. This includes:
- midwife resource cards
- the screening timeline
- events
HealthKnowledge: screening overview
The interactive learning on screening available from HealthKnowledge is helpful for new and non-clinical staff or those returning after a long period of absence.
Updates to this page
Published 8 December 2017Last updated 4 January 2023 + show all updates
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Upcoming course dates for 2023 have been added
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Contact information added for enquiries about future dates for haemoglobinopathies screening programme update and specialist counsellors update training.
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Updating genetic risk assessment and counselling module information to clarify that bursaries are no longer available for 2022 course.
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Addition of new dates for training courses in 2022.
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Updated information on the programme update day and the genetic risk assessment and counselling module.
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Changed 'Haemoglobinopathies: specialist counsellors update' course date from 27 April to 29 April 2021.
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Added new 2021 dates for the haemoglobinopathies: specialist counsellors update course.
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Replaced link to old information on counselling competences with link to new counselling knowledge and skills guidance.
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Added details of October 2019 training days.
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Added details of upcoming 'Haemoglobinopathies: specialist counsellors update' course.
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Next study day details added for non specialist nurses, midwives and health visitors.
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Added latest information on training and continuing professional development (CPD) events.
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Updated and corrected information on laboratory update days.
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First published.