NHS advertises role to support families in close-relative marriages

A Manchester NHS trust advertised a fixed-term neonatal nurse role to support families where parents are close relatives; the post is now closed and has prompted public reaction.

A Manchester NHS trust advertised a fixed-term neonatal nurse post described as supporting families where parents are close relatives. The vacancy was presented as aiming to improve engagement with genetic services and enable informed reproductive decision-making in a culturally sensitive way. The post listed language skills such as Urdu among desirable attributes. The advertisement and recent NHS guidance on risks and benefits have prompted public discussion. Key points: - Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust advertised a 12-month neonatal nurse role to support families where parents are close relatives; the vacancy is now closed. - The advert described duties including supporting engagement with genetic services and helping parents make "informed choices" in a culturally sensitive way, and noted Urdu fluency as a desirable skill. - Recent NHS guidance acknowledged some risks to child health associated with close-relative marriage while noting those risks should be weighed alongside reported social and economic factors and cited figures about rates of unaffected children. - The advertisement and guidance have attracted public criticism and personal testimony, and researchers cited in reporting say the prevalence of cousin marriage in some communities has declined in recent years. Summary: The advertisement and related NHS material have prompted a public discussion about how health services engage with communities where close-relative marriage is practiced. The role was described as supporting genetic services and culturally sensitive counselling, but it has also drawn criticism and personal accounts. Undetermined at this time.