26 April 2023
The Aspiring Cancer Career Education Development programme (ACCEND) was established to address and provide solutions to key issues that challenge the cancer workforce both now and into the future. One of the deliverables of the ACCEND programme is to continue to support the National Cancer CNS Day which was launched in 2022. The day was a huge success which saw 17 of the 21 alliances come together to raise the profile and showcase the amazing work of our Cancer Clinical Specialist Nurses through a social media campaign. Activity included ‘day in the life’ videos, patient videos talking about what the CNS role means to them, stalls, CNS away days, videos from Chief Nurses, radio appearances just to name a few. As a result, the social media campaign achieved a total reach of 12 million people internationally with 33 million impressions.
Though the day was successful, continued effort in raising the profile of cancer CNSs and recruiting aspiring CNSs is pivotal. The Cancer CNS work force is an aging population with an 18% older workforce than the general nursing workforce. Furthermore, 30% of CNSs are looking to retire in the next 8 years. Therefore, campaigns and work such as the National Cancer CNS Day are both important and urgent.
Consequently, the National Cancer CNS Day and the social media campaign will run again on 26th of April 2023. The day will be co-led by GM Cancer Alliance, UKONS and Macmillan with support from Health Education England and Royal College of Nursing. This year’s plans and activities are already beginning to take shape with increased engagement and support from alliances and trusts across the UK which has been exciting to see. We will once again come together across social media channels to share our appreciation for our Cancer CNS workforce using the hashtag #NationalCancerCNSDay.
To make this day even bigger and better than last year, we would like to encourage all to support their cancer nurses to engage and celebrate the work they do and the significant impact they have on cancer patients.
If members wish to support or want to share your plans for the day, please contact your local alliance and/or contact Claire Clarkson at GM Cancer Alliance (Claire.clarkson4@nhs.net). We look forward to once again celebrating this pivotal role and showing our gratitude to our Cancer CNS workforce.