Plans have been announced in Wales to increase the use of gene testing in an attempt to speed up the detection of cancer.

The Genomics Delivery Plan sets out how the NHS can take advantage of the genomics revolution in healthcare.

Some of the ambitions included in the plan are offering more extensive genomic testing and support to patients with a suspected rare disease and for specific cancer types by increasing the number of genomes sequenced annually from 240 to 3,000 a year, within the next three years and offering up to 5,000 extensive genomic testing profiles annually to patients with newly diagnosed cancer to improve diagnosis and survival rates.

Genomic surveillance of pathogens will be strengthened to help prevent and deal with communicable diseases and a new £15 million Genomic Centre for Wales will be created.

Minister for Health and Social Services, Eluned Morgan said: "Genomics is revolutionising the way we think about healthcare and has already impacted the way we deliver many services. This plan will put us in a position to use genomics to transform how we deliver healthcare in the future. By preparing now, Wales will be ready when the use of genomics is commonplace in our health service.

“The role of genomics in healthcare has increased steadily since the pandemic. The adoption of these new technologies has already delivered real benefits for patients. It has provided us with a far more detailed understanding of what causes illness and infectious disease and is underpinning the development of new interventions that would have been unthinkable a decade ago."