Genomic medicine strategy 2024 to 2029

2. Executive Summary

Genomic medicine is the use of genetic information (the instructions within our cells that shape a person’s health, growth and development) to diagnose disease, guide the use of different treatments or predict the risk of disease.

In March 2023 the Scottish Government published Genomics in Scotland: Building our Future which outlined our commitment to the development of a robust national genomic medicine service. The creation of the Scottish Strategic Network for Genomic Medicine (SSNGM) is already working to bring together the genomics community across Scotland and build on existing expertise and knowledge with partnership working across the NHS, academia, industry, the third sector and our citizens.

This document is Scotland’s first genomic medicine strategy and complements Scotland’s Pathogen Genomic Strategy. Our vision is to establish an equitable, person-centred and rights-based genomic medicine service that can improve health outcomes for people in Scotland and better enable us to use genomic information to support disease prevention and early detection. In collaboration with the SSNGM Patient Involvement Advisory Group and service users we will work to improve people’s experiences of genomic testing in Scotland, and increase public understanding of genomic medicine and the support available to them. To achieve this, we must put in place solid foundations, our building blocks, that can pave the way for an innovative and integrated genomics ecosystem that is fit for the future.