A charity has funded two cancer nurses at Harrogate District Hospital in response to fears not enough people can access specialist cancer care.
Macmillan Cancer Support announced today it had spent £214,000 on the two-year posts as part of a £4.5 million investment across Yorkshire and the north-east of England.
The funding will pay for 42 specialist cancer nurses in northern England, of whom two will be employed by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.
The development roles will see nurses with an interest in moving into cancer services step into specialist cancer roles.
Noreen Hawkshaw, the Macmillan lead cancer nurse at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“We’re facing incredibly challenging workforce issues at the moment and I know Harrogate is not unique with this.
“Undoubtedly the Macmillan investment into the two development roles will ease the pressure on the specialist cancer care we are able to provide for patients by creating more capacity.
Ms Hawkshaw added the investment would “allow nurses the time and space to develop into these specialist cancer nurse roles”, adding:
“We urgently need more of them to meet the rising demand on our services.”
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Macmillan said in a statement too many people in the north of England cannot access specialist cancer care and there are too few Macmillan cancer nurse specialists employed across the region.
It said a “crisis in cancer nursing” had left 630,000 people with cancer in the UK with a lack of dedicated support.
2,500 cancer nurses needed
The charity estimates an extra 2,500 specialist cancer nurses are required now.
Heather McLean, Macmillan’s head of partnerships for the north, said:
“Macmillan cancer nurse specialists are the people at the heart of cancer care, this unique role makes a huge difference to people diagnosed with cancer and their families at a very distressing time in their lives.
“There are currently a huge number of specialist cancer nurse vacancies across Yorkshire because it’s increasingly difficult to get people with the right knowledge and skills, who are ready to step into those specialist nursing posts.”
Rachel Moser, the interim programme manager with the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance, which is hosting the programme in partnership with Macmillan, on behalf of the four cancer alliances across the north-east and Yorkshire region, said:
“Patients tell us how much they value cancer nurse specialists and the care and support they provide.
“I’m delighted to be leading this programme on behalf of the regional cancer alliances which will help us ensure we have a ready supply of skilled individuals for these crucial roles into the future.”