With patient demand at an all-time high, coupled with a steady increase in relevant funding and the issue of estates, we are having to think ever more creatively when it comes to workforce planning. When Haywards Heath Villages PCN detected that additional support was needed in improving patient outcomes for cancer and the uptake of cancer screenings, the Cancer Nurse Assessor role was born. On this week’s podcast, we talk to Dr Katie Spensley, PCN Clinical Director, and Esther Walker, Cancer Nurse Assessor, about Esther’s approach to the role, her learnings so far, working alongside the ARRS staff, her aims for the future both short and long term, the positive outcomes she is seeing and why she is already a hugely well valued member of the Haywards Heath Villages PCN team.

Introduction (9 secs)

Haywards Heath Villages PCN (21 secs)

The creation of the Cancer Nurse Assessor role (31 secs)

Funding streams (1 min 28 secs)

Esther’s background (2 mins 22 secs)

How does the role work in practice? (3 mins 56 secs)

Auditing the existing service (6 mins 29 secs)

What are Esther’s key objectives? (8 mins 50 secs)

The impact of the role on the PCN- and individual practices (10 mins 25 secs)

Long term plans; for Esther, the service, and the wider workforce (12 mins 39 secs)

Balancing resources against patient needs (14 mins 3 secs)

Esther’s reflections on the PCN transition (14 mins 31 secs)

Interfacing with the ARRS teams (16 mins 43 secs)

Development of staffing going forwards (18 mins 37 secs)

Lessons learned (20 mins 4 secs)

Finding out more / getting in touch (22 mins 33 secs)

 

Katie is very happy to speak to anyone wanting to learn more about the Cancer Nurse Assessor role and is contactable here.

If you would like to know more about the innovation within Hayward’s Heath Villages PCN, you can also contact their local federation, Alliance for Better Care (who have also recently featured on the podcast). Their website (which contains all the relevant information and contact points) can be found here.