Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development (ACCEND) Programme
What is the ACCEND programme?
The purpose of the ACCEND programme is to provide clear and transparent guidance and direction on the knowledge, skills and capabilities required by healthcare professionals who care for people affected by cancer. It has been designed for people in non-oncology roles and specialist cancer services that are part of multi-professional teams across the UK.
Specifically the ACCEND programme is for:
- support workers
- nursing associates
- nurses
- allied health professionals
- psychologists
- pharmacists.
We know that significant parts of the workforce are under pressure now. Unless we act, we risk being without the right number of healthcare professionals with the right knowledge, skills and capabilities to effectively deliver the NHS Long Term Plan.
The ambitions for the future of cancer workforce were recently launched by in Long Term Workforce Plan.
The ACCEND programme will help increase and improve the supply of the cancer healthcare professional workforce in the future.
Who is involved with ACCEND?
The ACCEND is a programme hosted and funded by NHS England. Macmillan is the co-delivery partner. Many UK organisations have provided invaluable support and commitment for the programme. These include:
The ACCEND Framework
The Career Pathway, Core Cancer Capabilities in Practice (CiP) and Education Framework has been developed as part of the ACCEND programme.
Launched in January 2023, the publication provides the existing cancer workforce with access to the education and training needed to match the competencies required for their role. It gives the workforce a nationally agreed career and education framework, underpinned by CiP, for the first time.
The framework is for supportive and assistive nursing, allied health professionals, pharmacists, and psychologists who provide care affected by cancer in non-oncology and specialist cancer settings, services and roles across the UK. It aims to aspire professionals to move along their career pathways, and to be the best they can be in their role providing care to those affected by cancer.
It has 3 components:
- Career Pathway
- CiPs
- Education Framework.
To access the framework, including further information and implementation guides, visit the NHS England website.
The ACCEND Hub
To support delivery of the ACCEND Framework in practice, the programme team and stakeholders have developed an ACCEND Learning Hub. It is hosted on the NHS England Learning Hub, formerly known as e-Learning for Healthcare.
This includes:
- a supportive and assistive workforce toolkit
- The Aspirant Cancer Professional Student Programme.
Work is ongoing to update the Hub further as the programme develops and it can be accessed on the NHS Learning Hub.