Publish date: 14 March 2025
March 14 is national Cancer Nurse Specialist Day – a day to celebrate and highlight the contribution of the specialist cancer nursing workforce.
Cancer Nurse Specialists (CNSs) are vital to the quality of cancer care and the experience of patients, in our region and across the UK.
The role of the Cancer CNS is complex and highly skilled and there is clear evidence that CNSs improve the quality of life, experience of care and, potentially, the survival of people affected by cancer.
Cancer CNSs help to:
- Reduce the number of emergency admissions
- Reduce the length of stay in hospital
- Reduce the number of follow-up appointments
- Reduce the number of medical consultations
- Provide support to enable people to be cared for and to die in their place of choice
The incredible impact of the CNS role is highlighted in feedback received by Dr Merry Hill during some recent work with a group of people with experience of cancer, through the patient-led charity, Yorkshire Cancer Community, and Dr Hanif Ismail, Patient and Public Involvement Manager at Leeds Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust.
Dr Hill said: “The feedback I received from people with lived experience of cancer spoke volumes about the value of cancer nurse specialists and the vital role they perform.”
Quotes from people surveyed included:
“The specialist nurse, the cancer specialist nurse, was fantastic. I could ring her. She supported me really well.
“The team was great. There was a nurse whose card we got, who could be found at any time when she was on duty. That was so good. The CNS told me about the Bradford Cancer Support Service.”
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“The Macmillan nurse was really really, helpful. that was definitely in my brother in law’s and my sister's experience. And they were very grateful.” |
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“The colorectal nurses at Huddersfield are just exemplary in the way that it should be managed. I think I couldn't fault them in any way. They were always a phone call away. If you couldn't speak to somebody directly, they'd phone back within quite a few minutes.
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“The nurses there are absolutely angels. That's why I bought them all a thank you card when I finished with their treatment and I bought chocolates for them because them (sic) guys, they're absolutely awesome.”
The National Cancer Workforce Plan (2017) and NHS England’s People Plan (2020) both pledged to increase and transform the cancer workforce to support the delivery of 21st century care. |
National Cancer CNS Day is a celebration of how the specialist nurses contribute to this work in the context of increasing demand for cancer services
Hazel Rodger, Professional and Clinical Lead Nursing and AHP (Allied Health Professional) for the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance, said: “Raising awareness at this time is vital to promote action. We know the Cancer CNS workforce is aging with 18% of the workforce who are older than the average age of general nursing personnel.
Furthermore, since 30% of CNSs are looking to retire in the next eight years, campaigns such as the National Cancer CNS Day are both important and urgent.”
