Community of Practice Evaluation and Toolkit

On this page you can read the Evaluation Report we have produced on our 16 Genomic Communities of Practice for the period 2025/26. You can also access a CoP Toolkit which is designed to support anyone interested in developing a Genomics CoP model.

Genomics CoP Evaluation Report (2025/26)

The report below evaluates the expansion and impact of the East Genomics CoP programme delivered during the 2025/26 financial year.

The CoPs were implemented as a scalable and systematic approach to developing genomics capability across a large, multidisciplinary workforce, supporting delivery of the NHS East Genomic Medicine Service (GMS).

Building on successful early pilots, the CoP Programme was expanded through a structured Expression of Interest (EOI) process, resulting in a total of 16 CoPs across a range of clinical specialities.

Key Findings

Significant Expansion in Workforce Reach

The programme achieved substantial scale within a short time period:

1,837 individuals engaged from 154 organisations
Representation from across NHS Trusts, primary care, academia, and international participants
342% overall increase in contacts across representative clinical areas

This demonstrates the programme’s effectiveness in enabling East Genomics to reach a broad and multidisciplinary workforce at scale.

High and Sustained Engagement

Engagement levels were consistently strong across both live and asynchronous learning:

4,618 attendances across 182 sessions
Significant growth in digital engagement, including an 85% growth in East Genomics FutureNHS platform membership
High levels of interaction with session recordings and supporting materials
The CoP page ranked among the most accessed pages on East Genomics website, indicating sustained interest

These findings highlight the value of peer-led flexible, accessible learning models that accommodate clinical workloads and support ongoing professional development.

Evidence of Increased Capability and Behaviour Change

There is strong evidence that CoPs have contributed to improvements in workforce capability and practice:

Increased genomic test activity and broader geographical spread of testing
Positive correlation between CoP participation and test utilisation
Improved confidence and knowledge reported through survey data
Evidence of changed behaviours, including increased referrals, pathway development, and collaboration

While causation cannot be isolated from wider systems effects, triangulated data strongly indicate that CoPs are a key contributing factor to these improvements.

System-Level Impact

Case studies and stakeholder insights demonstrate that CoPs are enabling wider system benefits, including:

Development and standardisation of regional clinical pathways
Establishment of new multidisciplinary collaborations and networks
Improved communication between laboratory and clinical teams, and increased user-centred service design
Contribution to research delivery and national initiatives

These outcomes illustrate the role of CoPs as a mechanism for “structured serendipity”, enabling rapid knowledge exchange and system-wide coordination and improvement.

Value as a Scalable and Sustainable Model

The CoP model has proven to be:

Scalable: Capable of reaching a large, diverse workforce with relatively low marginal cost
Systematic: Providing a consistent mechanism for disseminating knowledge and service updates
Responsive: Able to adapt quickly to emerging clinical needs and service priorities
Sustainable: Leveraging existing networks, digital platforms, and clinical leadership

This positions CoPs as a core delivery model for workforce development within the East GMS.

The expansion of the Communities of Practice programme has successfully established a high-impact, scalable approach to genomics education and service development across the East Genomics region.

The programme has demonstrably increased reach and engagement of the mainstream workforce, supported improvements in clinical capability, and facilitated meaningful system-wide outcomes.

Download our Genomics CoP Evaluation Report here

pdf 2.4 MB

East Genomics CoP Implementation Toolkit

Impersonal marketing methods like advertising and storytelling may spread information about new innovations, but it is conversations that spread adoption.

The toolkit below has been developed to support wider adoption of the Communities of Practice model across the NHS Genomic Medicine Service landscape, based on the approach undertaken by East Genomics.

The toolkit can be read in conjunction with the East Genomics CoP Evaluation Report (above).

Download our Genomics CoP Toolkit here

pdf 2.2 MB

Non-urgent advice: Have questions?

If you would like to discuss our evaluation report or toolkit further, or have questions about our Genomics Community of Practice work, please contact Communications Lead Ian Kingsbury: i.kingsbury@nhs.net