The GCRAB promotes the value of good genetic counselling practice. GCRAB members are responsible for ensuring that Registered Genetic Counsellors practice in accordance with the Association of Genetic Nurses and Counsellors (AGNC) Code of Ethics (Web-15), the GCRAB Code of Conduct (005_POL) and AHCS Good Scientific Practice (WEB-12). Complaints against a Registered Genetic Counsellor are managed by the Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS) if the Genetic Counsellor is AHCS registered. Alternatively, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) will manage complaints against HCPC Registered Genetic Counsellors, which is an alternative route for registration.

What should I do about raising a concern?

Concerns about a Registered Genetic Counsellor

In most cases, it is best to raise your concern locally first. You can do this by contacting the Head of the Department in which the Registered Genetic Counsellor works, or by contacting the Patient Advisory and Liaison Services (PALS) if you were seen in an NHS Hospital Trust. Alternatively, you could contact the Chief Executive of the healthcare organisation employing that Registered Genetic Counsellor.

The Head of Department and the Registered Genetic Counsellor’s employer (usually an NHS Hospital Trust) can sometimes deal with your concerns quickly and fairly without the need for involvement of the GCRAB, AHCS, or HCPC. The employer may decide to refer the case to the Regulator, in this situation they will be able to send on all the information from their investigation, which makes the process much quicker.

For information on how to raise a concern or make a complaint about a Registered Genetic Counsellor’s fitness to practice through the Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS), particularly where patient safety or safeguarding matters are concerned, please click here (Web-10). If the Genetic Counsellor is registered through the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) please click here (Web-11).

Indicative Sanctions

Registered Genetic Counsellors must adhere to the standards set out by their registration body. Registered genetic counsellors must adhere to the GCRAB Code of Conduct, GCRAB Standards of Proficiency, which includes the AGNC Code of Ethics. The Academy for Healthcare Science’s Good Scientific Practice (GSP) sets out the professional standards on which safe and good working practice is founded for all those in the healthcare science workforce. For further information on the GSP guidance click here (Web-12). 

Where serious concerns have been raised about a Registered Genetic Counsellor’s adherence to standards, these concerns may be referred to a Fitness to Practise Panel. Panels should consider when deciding what, if any, sanction should be imposed in fitness to practise cases. Decisions should be fair, consistent and transparent. The AHCS Sanctions Policy sets out the principles for Fitness to Practise, for information click here (Web-13). Alternatively, the HCPC’s sanctions policy can be accessed here (Web-14).

Concerns about the Genetic Counsellor Registration Advisory Board?

The GCRAB aims to provide a fair, transparent, and responsive service for patients, the public, genetic counsellors and employers. For this reason, the GCRAB is concerned that a person who is not satisfied with the GCRAB should have the opportunity to air their grievance or to make a complaint and seek resolution. The complaint can be against a board member, a panel convened by the GCRAB, or a GCRAB employee, such as the administrator. In the first instance, any grievance could be taken to the Chair of the GCRAB either directly or by emailing [email protected] . If the grievance is not resolved in this manner then it would be appropriate to take it to the Academy for Healthcare Science.

For more information on how to raise concerns about the Genetic Counsellor Registration Advisory Board itself, through the Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS) please click here (Web-10).