Increasing awareness and opportunities for genetic testing – service improvement project to support the person with young onset dementia and their family 

Our webinar on Wednesday 18th October 2023 at 12.30pm will be led by Dr Jacqui Hussey, Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist and Lead Consultant for the Memory Clinic in Wokingham, Berkshire Healthcare Trust. Dr Hussey will present details of their service improvement project to increase awareness and opportunity for genetic testing in young onset dementia.

The diagnostic process for younger people with dementia should include access to genetic testing if required (RCPsych CR 217). However, this often is not routinely available. The Wokingham Memory Clinic and Oxford Centre for Genomic Medicine have developed a multidisciplinary approach to ensure genetic testing can be considered for younger people with dementia and their families. We will describe our shared pathway and the unique role the Admiral Nurse plays in this.

Dr Hussey will be joined by three panelists:

• Dr Kate Jefferies, Consultant Psychiatrist, Berkshire Healthcare Trust
• Lizzie Harrison, Admiral Nurse, Berkshire Healthcare Trust
• Dr Andrew Douglas, Consultant in Clinical Genetics, Oxford Centre for Genomic Medicine