Appointments

Your appointment

Your appointment may be:

• face-to-face
• by telephone
• by video

Please check your appointment letter for details.

How to get an appointment

We accept referrals from:

• your GP
• another health specialist such as a midwife, oncologist or neurologist

You will be referred if there is a chance your illness is genetic.

If you would like to talk to a clinical psychologist, please phone us to request an appointment. If you have been seen in the genetics clinic, you can ask the person who met you to make a referral.

Changing or cancelling your appointment

Phone: 020 7188 1397

Some appointments are time sensitive. Changing the date of your appointment may affect your options and our ability to offer you a specialist service. If you have questions about your appointment options, please ask the GP or health professional who referred you or phone us.

If you do not attend your appointment, you may be discharged from the service. We'll write to you to confirm this.

Before your appointment

If we send you a family history information sheet, please complete it and return the form to us before your appointment.  We'll keep this information confidential.

You may bring a friend or relative to your appointment with you. If you need an interpreter, please let us know before your appointment.

Face-to-face appointments

Please check your appointment letter for the location of your appointment. We hold genetics clinics at:

• Guy's Hospital
• St Thomas' Hospital
• other hospitals within our region

If we have asked you to come to the hospital it is because your specific situation is best suited to an in-person assessment.

Telephone appointments

We'll call you on the phone number provided by your referrer or on your NHS records. Please let us know if we need to use a different phone number. Sometimes, our call will show as a 'private number' on your caller display.

Virtual (video) appointments

We use Microsoft Teams for video consultations. We'll let you know how to access this when we arrange your appointment. You can use any device with a WiFi connection, camera and microphone. Please let us know if you would prefer to have a telephone call.

A virtual appointment will be very similar to a face-to-face one. Please make sure that you have set aside dedicated time for your appointment and that you are in a private space where you will not be disturbed. Your doctor may need to examine you on camera.

For more information, please see our video appointments page.

During your appointment

Your appointment will last between 45 minutes to 1 hour. Please allow 2 hours for your appointment. At your appointment, we may:

• arrange a blood test
• suggest other tests
• discuss your treatment and reproductive options
• discuss anything relevant to your health, and lifestyle, such as if you're married to your cousin
• discuss family's health - if many of your family members have the same medical problem, it is more likely there is a genetic cause
• examine you
• make a follow-up plan with you

We'll give you information to help you make your own decisions and will support you whatever decision you make.

If we can make a diagnosis, we'll help you to understand more about your genetic condition. This may include information about the chance of future children or other relatives being affected. If we cannot make an exact diagnosis, your genetic specialist will explain things to you clearly.

Our aim is to help you manage your condition as best as we can. There are treatments for some genetic conditions, but there isn't always a cure.

If the appointment is about family planning, please try to bring your partner. 

We hold joint clinics with doctors and other specialists. Your appointment letter will provide information about who’ll be involved in your care.

You may see a clinical psychologist. They can help with any psychological issues, stress or anxiety related to genetic testing or a genetic condition in your family.

A clinical psychologist can help you rediscover your own strengths, resources and coping skills. They have extensive training in assessing psychological difficulties and the most appropriate ways to help.

We're a teaching hospital. We may ask if medical or genetic counselling students can watch your appointment. Please tell us if you do not want this.

We may ask if you wish to take part in clinical research. It is up to you if you want to get involved. If you decide not to take part in research or to have students present at your appointment, it will not affect your treatment in any way.

After your appointment

We'll send you a letter after your appointment. It will say what happened in your appointment and any follow-up plans. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.

It can take up to 18 months to receive the results from complex medical testing.