The SWGLH works with the Genomics Unit in NHS England, and as of February 2021 the SWGLH is aligned with the activity of the South West Genomics Medicine Service Alliance (SWGMSA), to ensure that genomic laboratory services are aligned with national policy and with the needs of the SW population.

Our main NHS Acute hospital partners are the 9 Trusts that provide acute care for the SW England population of about 5 million people:

• Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
• Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
• Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust in partnership with Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
• University Hospitals Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
• Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
• University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
• North Bristol NHS Trust
• Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
• Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Oversight and governance of the SWGLH and the SWGMSA  are currently provided by a Partnership Board which meets regularly and is accountable to an oversight board consisting of the CEOs of the acute Trusts in the NHS and onward to NHS England and the Genomic Unit.

This page was last updated at 18:16 on Tuesday 8th March 2022

The SWGLH is the point-of-access for all genomic tests listed in the National Genomic Test Directory for rare diseases and for cancer

Funding of tests

The SWGLH is directly funded for service delivery so there will be no provider-to-provider invoicing for tests specified by the national Genomic Test Directory (NGTD), and patients meeting the eligibility criteria.

The following tests will be performed in one of the SWGLH laboratories:

• All cancer and haemato-oncology indications - Bristol
• All common rare disease indications -  Bristol or Exeter
• Specialist tests for neurology, cardiac and renal indications - Bristol
• Specialist tests for endocrine indications  - Exeter
• National rapid exome sequencing service (R14) -  Exeter

Samples for the following test indications should be sent to the SWGLH but will be processed and forwarded to a different specialist laboratory in the GLH network. Results will be sent directly to the requesting clinical team:

• Specialist haematology
• Specialist ophthalmology
• Specialist gastrohepatology
• Specialist hearing
• Specialist immunology
• Specialist inherited cancer
• Specialist metabolic
• Specialist mitochondrial
• Specialist musculoskeletal
• Specialist respiratory
• Specialist skin
• Non-invasive pre-natal diagnosis

The information on requesting these tests can be found on the SWGLH Sample and Test Information pages

This page was last updated 20:11 Tuesday 8th March 2022

The SW Genomic Laboratory Hub (SWGLH) is one of the network of seven English Genomic Laboratory Hubs that was commissioned from 2018 to deliver genomic testing services in accordance with the National Genomic Test Directories.

The SWGLH is a partnership between two laboratories and their host NHS Trusts:

• ​Bristol Genetics Laboratory at North Bristol NHS Trust (Southmead site). This is the main laboratory where all cancer and most rare disease genomic testing is performed.

• ​Exeter Genomics Laboratory at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Wonford site)This laboratory provides some specialised rare disease genomic testing services, including some national services.View Exeter Website here

The SWGLH is the NHS provider for Genomic testing for the 5 million NHS patients in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, North Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, and some parts of Wiltshire. The SWGLH also provides some specialist rare disease tests for NHS patients in other regions

This page last updated 12/04/2022

About the South West Genomic Laboratory Hub (SWGLH)

This section gives more information about how the SWGLH is organised and the structure within the national laboratory network.

It includes pages with content covering:

• The National Genomic Laboratory Network
• The South West Genomic Laboratory Hub
• Working with other Genomic Medicine Stakeholders and Patients
• Meet the Team
• Services provided by the South West Genomic Laboratory Hub

These can be accessed from the menu to the left of the page

This page was last updated 20:16 Tuesday 8th March 2022

Regional Anaesthesia UK (RAUK) has funded an information video for patients - filmed at Southmead Hospital Bristol - to help people understand what a nerve block involves.

We have created this film for patients and their relatives who have been told they will be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit after having an operation in our hospital.

We have created this film so you can see what it will be like when you have your operation under local anaesthetic at North Bristol NHS Trust.

We have created this film so you can see what it will be like when you have your operation at North Bristol NHS Trust.

We've created this short film so that you can see what it will be like coming into hospital for your day case surgery at North Bristol NHS Trust.

There are two main day case units at Southmead Hospital. Brunel operating theatres and Cotswold Theatres.

We have created this film to let you know what to expect when you attend the preoperative assessment clinic at Southmead Hospital.