Workforce

The urgent need to think strategically about how the cancer workforce is planned and managed long term, was recognised in the Cancer Strategy for England when it called for ‘the development of a vision for the future shape and skills mix of the workforce required to deliver a modern, holistic patient-centred cancer service’. This was then followed by a commitment to delivering the review in the Cancer Strategy implementation plan published by the NHS in May 2016.

In order to truly transform the cancer workforce so that it is fit for the future, national leadership and a strategic vision for the future cancer workforce is needed. Health Education England has a critical role to play in leading the development of this strategic vision for the cancer workforce.

Our report, ‘Thinking differently: Macmillan’s vision for the future cancer workforce in England’ uses examples of projects and programmes we have led or been involved in to illustrate the need to think differently about the workforce. It also makes recommendations at both a national and local level, recognising that both are vital to achieving lasting and sustainable change.

We are proud to have contributed £7 million of an £11 million investment to fund around 60 cancer nurse specialists (CNS) and Support Worker posts, in order to help fill the gap in specialist nurses in NI. We continue to work with the Department of Health to deliver these new posts.

Even with these new roles, our cancer workforce is struggling. It needs adequate investment in the right places. That way, our health service can retain, develop and employ enough health care professionals with the right skill to mix to ensure that, as demand continues to increase, people living with cancer receive high quality, person-centred care.

We are calling on the Department of Health to ensure that a costed cancer workforce plan is at the heart of the NI cancer strategy which is currently in development.

In Summer 2019, we announced our £18 million partnership with the Scottish Government. This partnership introduced link workers into the cancer workforce across the country, in order to support the spread of the Transforming Cancer Care programme. This ensures that everyone in Scotland is offered support with emotional, practical and financial needs following a cancer diagnosis.

We continue to campaign for the implementation of the commitment in the 2016 Scottish Cancer Plan to workforce planning. This ensures 'that every person with cancer in Scotland who needs it has access to a specialist nurse during their care and treatment'.

Despite these very welcome measures, Macmillan believes that the NHS and social care system in Scotland simply do not have enough of a workforce to cope with the growing numbers and needs of people with cancer. We want the Scottish Government to publish a national health and social care workforce plan, which must include projections based on patient numbers, needs and complexity to ensure we have the cancer workforce in Scotland needed to deal with the growing cancer population.

The Wales Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES) published in 2017 surveyed more than 6,000 people affected by cancer. The survey revealed that a key success factor for good experience is having access to a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). For almost every question in the survey, people who had a CNS felt they had a more positive experience, compared with those who did not have access to a CNS. The survey showed us that nearly 1 in 5 (19%) were not given the name and contact details of a CNS to support them through their treatment.

Our Cancer Workforce in Wales (2018) report builds a comprehensive picture of the significant challenges facing the cancer and palliative care nursing workforce. In our census of clinical nurse specialists (CNS), Macmillan identified 74% of breast CNS’ were within 10 years of retirement. It also presented evidence that the vacancy rate for chemotherapy nurses and CNS’ in Wales was higher than the UK average. 

Bu Arolwg Profiad Cleifion Canser Cymru (CPES) a gyhoeddwyd yn 2017 arolygu dros 6,000 o bobl a effeithiwyd arnynt gan ganser. Datgelodd yr arolwg mai ffactor allweddol o ran cael profiad da oedd cael mynediad at Nyrs Glinigol Arbenigol (CNS). Ar gyfer bron bob cwestiwn yn yr arolwg, roedd y sawl a oedd wedi cael CNS yn teimlo eu bod wedi cael profiad mwy cadarnhaol o'i gymharu â'r sawl nad oedd wedi cael mynediad at CNS. Dangosodd yr arolwg bod bron 1 ym mhob 5 (19%) heb gael enw a manylion cyswllt CNS i'r cefnogi trwy eu triniaeth.

Mae ein hadroddiad Gweithlu Canser Cymru (2018) yn adeiladu llun cynhwysfawr o'r heriau arwyddocaol sy'n wynebu'r gweithlu nyrsio canser a gofal lliniarol. Yn ein cyfrifiad o nyrsys clinigol arbenigol (CNS), bu Macmillan adnabod bod 74% o nyrsys clinigol arbenigol y fron o fewn 10 mlynedd o ymddeol. Roedd hefyd yn dangos tystiolaeth bod y gyfradd swyddi gwag ar gyfer nyrsys cemotherapi a nyrsys clinigol arbenigol yn uwch yng Nghymru na chyfartaledd y DU.