Winner
Macmillan nurse team within NHS Western Isles provide a truly unique service to people affected by cancer
By NHS Western Isles
The Macmillan nurses employed by NHS Western Isles provide a truly unique service to people affected by cancer. The work they do is utterly patient-focused and seamless. There is no hospital Macmillan team, no community Macmillan team. There is one Macmillan nurse team providing care wherever that need is identified. Wherever possible the patient will be supported by the same nurse from diagnosis to the end of their need for care, with nurses overcoming the challenges set by the geography of the islands, the road conditions, the ferry crossings and weather conditions to care for their patients.
Judges’ comments
“This is nursing at its best, working in a challenging environment and truly making a difference to people. The logistics of providing the care they do across a diverse geographical location is amazing. They are clearly a hard-working, dedicated team who go beyond their remit to help their patients.”
Commended
Improving cancer patient experience – implementing the recovery package
By Whittington Health
Whittington Health is a small local district general hospital providing care for patients in Islington and Haringey. Oncology services work alongside site specific tumour services as well as supporting services at the Royal Free and University College London hospitals. Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) are considered fundamental to ensuring patient care is co-ordinated, person-centred and is a mandatory requirement of cancer care; they have been identified as the single most important factor associated with high patient satisfaction scores. This application details how the CNS team has utilised its knowledge, expertise, and compassionate care to implement elements of the recovery package and demonstrate how this has improved cancer patient experience.
Judges’ comments
“This was well-written and successfully implemented. This is an example of good nursing leadership, standardising procedure and pulling a team together to address the national agenda and the patient account was admirable.”