Vanessa Beattie, Chair, NLCFN Committee, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Aintree University Hospital, Liverpool
Following a career in thoracic medicine, Vanessa joined the Lung Cancer Team at Aintree University Hospital , Liverpool in 1999 as a Clinical Nurse Specialist. Vanessa’s interest’s in lung cancer and mesothelioma include improving the patient and carer experience throughout the pathway. She is interested in the development of nurse led services and pre –post habilitation. She has given invited presentations on both national and international level, on various aspects of lung cancer including: Wellbeing; Holistic Needs and surgical pathway.
Vanessa is delighted to be a NLCFN committee member, currently serving as vice-chair for the forum. She is also a committee member of BTOG.
Karen Clayton, Macmillan Lung/Palliative CNS, East Cheshire NHS Trust
I was appointed Macmillan Lung/Palliative CNS in April 2010, prior to this my career was mainly in the acute sector. I worked on medical wards, ICU/HDU as well as being an A&E Sister for six years and Medical Nurse Practitioner for three. I trained at Stepping Hill hospital and Manchester University before moving to Macclesfield District General. I attained my Masters of Arts in Advanced Nursing Practice from John Moores University in 2012 and became a Non Medical Prescriber in 2013.
I have been a member of the NLCFN since appointment. The forum has been instrumental in supporting my development. I have attended two Lily workshops leading one. This led to being able to present at World Lung in Denver 2016. I have also presented at NLFCN conference these experiences have built my confidence and understanding of lung cancer care. I am now Lead Lung CNS at East Cheshire leading a team who support patients from pre diagnosis to end of life in primary and secondary care.
Carol Davies, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Abergavenny, Wales
Carol has worked as a Macmillan Lung CNS since 2003. It was a new post which she has had the opportunity to develop. Carol works as a single practitioner within a hospital setting seeing patient's pre diagnosis, at diagnosis, during treatment, at oncology and respiratory clinics supporting patients throughout their lung cancer pathway. She leads the lung cancer nursing service within the hospital, working in partnership with enthusiastic MDT colleagues.
Carol regularly attends and contributes to lung cancer meetings at local and national levels and has represented the health Board at international meetings. Her special interests include; the lung cancer patient’s journey, communication, quality of life issues and patient stories. She is working with colleagues to extend the breathlessness service within her area of work.
Carol has been a NLCFN forum member since 2004, and was thrilled to join the committee in 2012. She is the NLCFN representative for NICE. Carol is also current Chair of All Wales Lung Cancer Forum.
Jeanette Draffan, University Hospitals of North Tees & Hartlepool – Macmillan Lung CNS
Jeanette has worked as a Lung CNS since 2002 – developing the Lung Cancer nursing service in my previous role before taking up my current position as a Macmillan Lung CNS. She has previously held the position of Lead Lung Cancer Nurse for the North of England Cancer Network and has been a NLCFN committee member since November 2008. She has an interest in education at all levels from prevention of disease to care management and regularly speaks at local, regional and national meetings.
Jackie Fenemore, Vice-chair, NLCFN Committee, Clinical Lung Cancer Specialist Nurse, The Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester
Jackie first gained a wealth of oncology experience working on various wards and departments covering different areas of nursing on medical oncology and radiotherapy wards and the leukaemia unit. She then worked as a clinical research nurse from 2002-2007 working on phase one and two clinical trials within the Christie Hospital Trials Unit.
Since 2007, Jackie has been in her current post of Lung Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist. This was a newly created post at the trust. Jackie and her colleague have been involved in the development of lung cancer patient information, and supporting patients in both an inpatient and outpatient setting working with 1400 new lung patients at their treatment hospital mainly in the role of assessment and review of lung cancer patients on treatment, symptom control, emotional support and liaison within the multi disciplinary team. Jackie leads on the concurrent treatment pathway.
Jackie completed the Nurse Prescribers Course in 2008 and is currently one of a growing number of nurse prescribers at The Christie. The Lung CNS team at The Christie are in the process of developing a Small Cell Lung Patient telephone clinic and also a Nurse Lead oral therapy lung cancer follow up clinic. Jackie is enrolled on the MSc Advanced Practice course at Edge Hill University.
Jackie has two daughters and works 4 days a week at present.
Lesley Holland, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Kettering General Hospital
Lesley has a wealth of over 30 years of nursing experience mainly within medicine and palliative care. She became a Community Macmillan Nurse in 2000, where she gained the additional qualification of an independent non-medical prescriber, and evolved into the role of the Lung Cancer Specialist Nurse in 2005. She is passionate about delivering and improving the lung cancer service offered to patients locally and nationally and became a committee member for NLCFN with particular interests in developing patient information with regard to symptom management, liaising with the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation regarding patient information.
Lesley recognises the importance of nursing metrics that measure practice including seeking the views of patients and carers which is vital to giving effective care and proving to others our role and activity. Lesley has experience of auditing in many areas, including LCNS activity where she takes an active role on the committee to ensure the nurse specialist views are taken into account when collecting appropriate data
Lesley takes an active role in the east Midlands cancer Network CNS group and the Expert Clinical Group, and she regularly inputs and gives feedback on EMCN policies and documents particularly to nursing. She has good communication skills and an excellent network of colleagues
Lavinia Magee, Nurse Consultant – Thoracic Oncology, Papworth Hospital, Cambridge
Lavinia completed her nurse training in Northern Ireland in 1988 and somehow escaped oncology. Her career in cancer care began in 1997, initially as a database manager and clinical research nurse. She became a nurse consultant in November 2012 and a committee member of the NLCFN in November 2013. Working within a dedicated multi-disciplinary team, including a fabulous team of clinical nurse specialists / research nurses, she remarks that it is an honour to look after patients with lung cancer and mesothelioma. The NLCFN provides an excellent way to share ideas and expertise and improve services for patients and their carers.
Josie Roberts, Macmillan Lung Nurse Specialist, Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust
Josie is a Macmillan Lung Nurse Specialist at Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, working with patients from pre-diagnosis. Prior to working in lung cancer Josie was a CNS in Specialist Palliative Care. She has experience in haemato/oncology and outreach chemotherapy and has participated in several secondment posts including Lead Cancer Nurse, and lead for introducing the Holistic Needs Assessment process.
Josie is an accredited facilitator for the Connected Advanced Communication Training programme and committed to improving communication at all levels and particularly in enhancing and improving the patient and carer pathway. She is presently involved in a pre/rehabilitation programme for patients having surgery and radical treatment.
Josie is actively involved in the NLCFN annual workshop and represents the forum on the Cancer Nursing Partnership: Implementing the Recovery Package.
Helena Stanley
Helena is a Macmillan Lung Cancer Nurse Specialist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, she is also the Mesothelioma UK sponsored Nurse Specialist covering the South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire region. Helena qualified as a nurse and worked in Birmingham for many years, mainly in the oncology units at the QE and Selly Oak Hospitals. In 1999 she began her role as a Lung Cancer CNS in Birmingham. After a time working in the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Vancouver, she moved to Sheffield to continue in her role as a Lung Cancer CNS. In October 2014, she commenced her role as a Mesothelioma CNS, and within this, has taken the national lead for peritoneal mesothelioma as well as having other local and regional responsibilities. Helena is a member of both the International and National Lung Cancer Forum for Nurses, the British Thoracic Oncology Group, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and the United Kingdom Oncology Nurses Forum.
Helena is passionate about raising awareness of lung cancer and mesothelioma and the issues surrounding it. She works closely with local asbestos support groups SARAG and DAST, running a local mesothelioma support group with SARAG. Through her dual roles, Helena hopes to promote excellence in care and equity of access to treatment for all patients and their carers.
Rachel Thomas, Lung Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist, Guys Hospital, London
Rachel qualified as a nurse in September 2000 and initially specialised in HIV nursing, undertaking an MSc in Health Care Research.
Rachel has worked at Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Trust for 7 yrs and became a Mesothelioma/Lung Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist 6yrs ago. Rachel really enjoys working in the field of lung cancer as it has many similarities to HIV in the early days. Since working in this role Rachel has become part of the Asbestos Sub-committee at Parliament and helped set up a nurse led clinic for patients on TKI’s. Rachel also runs a successful Mesothelioma support group and publishes a newsletter for all the Mesothelioma patients who attend Guy’s and St Thomas’ for treatment. As part of Rachel’s role she has also project managed education programmes for lung cancer health professionals across London on setting up a nurse led clinic and evidenced based prescribing of TKI’s.
Rachel has been a committee member for NLCFN since 2013 and truly enjoys being part of an expert and dynamic team. Rachel also very recently has become a member of The British Thoracic Society.
Sandra Wakelin