I am currently the Teenage Cancer Trust Lead Nurse for the TYA South West Cancer Service and have been in this post since June 2013. 

I have had a varied nursing career following qualifying as a children's nurse in Edinburgh. Since then I have worked in Edinburgh, London and Bristol within a variety of clinical roles including research, management and latterly in education as a senior Lecturer at the University of the West of England. Throughout my career I have predominantly worked with children or young adults with cancer.

"I am very fortunate in my current post as it combines all the things I am passionate about; clinical care, service development, education and most importantly a fantastic and dedicated team in the delivery of quality cancer care."

I have been really privileged to work in some fantastic teams within UHBristol and I think the thing that is consistent through all is their dedication to excellent patient care despite all the challenges faced.

Laugh every day, take all opportunities, question and consider new ways of working, be kind to yourself, caring is quite simple - it's all about communication.

I have been in this newly designated 1.0wte post as Lead Cancer Nurse at UHBristol since January 2011 when there was organisational recognition that this post required a stand-alone post holder to concentrate on the specific responsibilities of this role.

The Lead Cancer Nurse post sits in Trust Services, providing strategic Trust-wide leadership in ensuring consistency in developing high quality cancer nursing services and workforce across the Trust.

"I came to UH Bristol in 1987 as a student nurse and have stayed within the Trust for my whole nursing career."

For over 20 years I worked in Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre as a staff nurse on the oncology / haematology ward, moving on to be a Chemotherapy Nurse (helping to set up the first BHOC Chemotherapy Day Unit and completing my BSc Hons during this time). I then worked in clinical trials as a Research Nurse and moved on from here to be the Chemotherapy Clinical Nurse Specialist / Lead Chemotherapy Nurse. During this role I set up the initial PICC service and completed my MSc. 

My next challenge was taking up the role of Matron at BHOC, a role I was fortunate enough to job-share with my long-standing oncology colleague Hayley Long. Hayley and I were the first Matrons at UH Bristol to be given the opportunity to job-share in this senior position. We worked hard to make it a success. At the time we both had young children, but were both still motivated to continue developing our careers and use our expertise and felt well positioned to share this Matron's post to maintain an important work-life balance at this time in our lives. We were so grateful to the Trust for being prepared to give us the opportunity at that time.

Having been a Matron for 6 years (and with children getting older), the timing was perfect for me when the 1.0wte Lead Cancer Nurse post was developed. I truly felt my whole career had been leading towards this role.

"I felt well positioned in the organisation, professionally and personally to take on this exciting challenge."

Today, I continue to focus on improving the cancer patient experience across our organisation. I help determine and influence strategic cancer services developments and support clinical teams in implementing these initiatives (including the more recent introduction of Cancer Support Worker roles and the implementation of the cancer 'Recovery Package' for a growing population of people 'living with and beyond' their 'long term condition' cancer diagnosis) . UH Bristol Cancer Services are leading the way nationally in a number of ways and I am regularly asked to speak at conferences / present posters of the services we have developed and integrated into our cancer care model.

I feel privileged and proud to have spent my nursing career at UH Bristol and still feel supported and motivated to continue progressing service developments to benefit the patients we serve.

I am the Lead Nurse Congenital Heart Disease Network which I started mid- October 2016. My early experience was as a Sister in the Cardiac Intensive Care, which in the early days cared for children undergoing cardiac surgery. The adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) service was expanding and I was appointed clinical nurse specialist 14yrs ago and Lead Nurse for the service in 2014. The service supports adult patients born with congenital heart disease when they are undergoing cardiac surgery, cardiology interventions, in-patients with heart failure, arrhythmias, endocarditis or at the end of life. Two hundred young people transfer to the Bristol Heart Institute each year from the Children's Hospital and are seen in our teenage and young adult clinics. The cardiac obstetric service supports women with congenital heart disease through pregnancy. A number of patients with congenital heart disease have Learning Disabilities and the Clinical Nurse Specialist team support them during in patient stays and preparing them for procedures. I completed my Masters in 2010 and this was very helpful in terms of helping me to develop the service.  

Starting in 2012 was involved in the Clinical Advisory group for the NHS England Adult Congenital Heart Disease standards, representing the Royal College of Nursing. This was valuable experience in understanding the congenital heart disease network.  Alongside this I was involved in the writing of Royal College of Nursing document, 'Adult Congenital Heart Disease Nursing; RCN guidance on roles, career pathways and competence development' (2015). I was a founding member of The British Adult Congenital Cardiac Nurses Association (BACCNA) group and was president of this group for five years.

Until recently I have been based in the Bristol Heart Institute. It has been great to work in such a modern, light and peaceful building. 

"There are excellent cardiac teams and a number of very cohesive Clinical Nurse Specialist teams with a Nurse Consultant who is very supportive of the development of nursing."

Following up patients with lifelong cocardiac conditions is very rewarding.

The advise i would give to someone looking into this line of work is; think carefully about the clinical, education or management issues you are really interested in and be intentional about planning your career around them.  Develop your skills and knowledge by attending training and conferences. Work in appropriate places to increase your experience and continue to build up a well planned Curriculum Vittae C.V.