15 March 2022
Today (15 March) marks the first ever National Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Day.
Jessica Greenwood, Lead Cancer Nurse at SaTH and Strategic Lead for Cancer – Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin CCG, said: “We are really proud to be taking part in the first ever National Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist Day. The National Cancer Workforce Plan (2017) and NHS England’s People Plan (2020) both pledge to increase and transform the cancer workforce to support the delivery of 21st Century care.
“Over the last few years, Macmillan Cancer Support have consistently flagged the concern that around 30% of the specialist cancer nursing workforce will retire in the next 10 years whilst also highlighting that CNS numbers will have to double in order to meet the needs of an ageing population; many of whom will be living with the effects of cancer or cancer treatments. Running alongside this real threat to CNS numbers is the fact that the CNS workforce delivers real quality to patients.
“The presence and accessibility of a CNS is consistently flagged as the major factor in improving the experience of patients with a cancer diagnosis.”
“I hope that this day will celebrate, increase awareness of the role and also promote the importance of the cancer CNS.
“Also, I hope that they also dispel any pre-conceptions associated with working within a cancer setting and highlight the personal reasons as to why our workforce chose this profession and find it so rewarding.”
Meet our Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialists…
Nick Jones – Haematology Nurse Specialist
Nick is the only Male cancer CNS at SaTH. He works at Royal Shrewsbury on The O’Connor Haematology Day Unit / Ward 23 Haematology.
Q: How did you progress into the role?
A: I joined SaTH in October 2011 on Ward 23 Haematology as a Band 2 HCA, which gave me a good grounding in basic care and gain a understand of haematology. I was then lucky enough to be seconded to do my nurse training. I qualified as a Band 5 Staff nurse in 2018 and went back to Ward 23 Oncology / Haematology to establish myself as a nurse. I attended haematology conferences / courses and did my chemotherapy course. I progressed to a Band 6 Haematology Nurse Specialist Nurse in February 2020 and have been so ever since.
Q: What does your typical day look like?
A: My role is full time; I work Monday to Friday. My day starts by preparing for the consultant / nurse specialist clinics for that day, but looking for patients who will be new, newly diagnosed, disease progressing and palliative diagnoses. I provide support for any patients that I have just listed. I am the first point of contact for anyone needing the haematology CNS team, this can be patients calling, doctors, GP’s, dentists, and other trusts. I am also the CNS that liaises with Queen Elizabeth Hospital about our Transplant patients, and the jobs that this entails.
Q: What are the best things about your role?
A: I work within an amazing MDT. My role is purely for the patient’s welfare and experience. No two patients are the same, and I am forever developing my skills and knowledge, which in turn benefits my patients.
Q: what would you say to someone who might be interested in a Cancer CNS role?
A: It’s one of the most diverse, rewarding, and challenging roles, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Making any form of difference to someone’s cancer journey is fulfilling enough. You learn and are educated about disease and treatment changes often, so I feel you are always developing.
Q: why are Cancer CNS roles so important?
A: We are an advocate for our patients. We aim to make their journey as smooth and manageable as possible. We try to ensure that a patient’s holistic needs are met. To make sure that our patients are as enabled as they can be, and are able to make informed choices / decisions as needed, which will in turn help them feel fully supported by the CNS team.
Julia McAdam- Lead Lung Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist
I never expected to be in the same job for 19 years, but the role has changed so much in that time that it is difficult to describe it as the same job.
However, the patients with lung cancer still need to be supported, educated, communicated with, and offered choices of treatment. The lung cancer CNS has a vital role in ensuring that the patient can access the relevant diagnostic tests in order to get them to the most appropriate treatment options.
We continue to work in a multidisciplinary way, but the impact that the lung cancer CNS has on the patient and their decision making is often reported as being very positive.
I triage patients to clinic and am speaking to them before they have their first test; I can meet them and provide support throughout the diagnostic pathway and I also have the pleasure of undertaking the follow-up clinics after the patient has completed their treatment, which is wholly rewarding role.
I am very lucky to have had opportunities in my career to broaden my knowledge and develop the role in areas that I have the most interest. I have a master’s degree in medical ethics and am a nurse prescriber, both of which have enabled me to be a better CNS when I meet the patients.
Daily I hope that I am able to support the lung CNS team as well as the other nurses and healthcare professionals that we work with in the different departments throughout SaTH.
In my spare time I am a committee member of Lung Cancer Nurses UK and have responsibilities representing lung CNSs at a national level, which is incredibly rewarding and a huge privilege.
I have had the opportunity to develop services within the lung cancer pathway and am pleased to work collaboratively with the Macmillan therapies team in providing a Prehab service (or Lung school as it has been nicknamed) to help prepare patients for their radical treatments.
Most importantly, I get to work with an incredibly dedicated team of lung cancer nurses, and without whom I couldn’t do my job.
Being a lung cancer CNS has defined my career, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.