Stakeholders from within the North East and Yorkshire Workforce Alliance identified that to meet the needs of people living with cancer now and in the future, a structured approach to workforce development for Cancer Nurse Specialists (CNS) needed to be undertaken.
The Macmillan Workforce Development Programme was created in partnership with NHS England Workforce, Training (NHSE WTE), local Cancer Alliances and Macmillan Cancer Support. It has been aligned to the Macmillan Workforce Strategy and supports the development of the Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development programme (ACCEND).
To do this it:
- addressed a clear shortage of the CNS workforce within the four North East and Yorkshire Cancer Alliances (Humber and North Yorkshire, Northern, South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, West Yorkshire and Harrogate)
- contributed to and informed the development of the ACCEND programme through testing, feedback and aligned formal evaluation
- contributed to the evolving Macmillan and national workforce strategies
- contributed to a more efficient and effective way to support the development of a competent and capable specialist cancer workforce.
West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board hosted this collaboration between the four North East and Yorkshire Cancer Alliances. A total of 42 development CNSs and mentors were recruited across 20 NHS Trusts, encompassing nine cancer specialties.
The programme started in September 2022 and completed after two years. 90% of those who completed the programme have been employed in a substantive CNS post. A formal evaluation and report has been completed to inform and support future workforce development approaches for health care professionals across the NHS.
A further legacy of the programme’s success has been the launch of the national CNS Development Forum co-chaired by representatives of Macmillan Cancer Support and West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance. The forum is committed to the delivery of CNS development across the four nations of the UK.
