23 November 2023
The biggest UKONS Conference to date took place at the ICC Wales in Newport over the 17th and 18th of November. This featured more sessions and posters, more attendees and the largest sponsors exhibition the ever before. There will be a full review of the event in the next copy of Breaking News which will be released on 7th December.
The conference also featured the UKONS Annual General Meeting where board elections and changes are formally ratified. On this occasion UKONS were sad to say goodbye to outgoing board members Dr Verna Lavender and Lisa Barrott who both completed their terms. Verna has been a board member since 2016 also serving as UKONS Treasurer and as President 2019-2021. Her amazing work ethic and intellectual ability combined with her generous and caring nature will be sorely missed. Lisa joined the board in 2018 as a specialist SACT nurse and has led the SACT Members Interest Group, Chaired the UK SACT Board and more recently has acted as the ‘Partnership Lead for UKONS’. Her dedication, sense of humour and expertise in all issues relating to SACT has been hugely beneficial for the board.
UKONS are thrilled to welcome to the board Dr Barry Quinn and Dr Linda Sherwood who will both help us continue to represent nurses across all four nations. Barry is a Senior Lecturer in Cancer and Palliative Care at the Queen’s University Belfast and is keen to engage with nurses Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK to support the work of UKONS. He is the current chair of the UKONS Haemato-Oncology Members Interest Group. Linda is colorectal CNS at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre and is enthusiastic about widening the horizons and opportunities of the cancer nursing workforce, with a particular emphasis on a four-nation approach. Dr Mary Tanay takes over as President Elect, she is a Senior Teaching Fellow at the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care, King’s College London and has a particular interest in supporting student nurses and early career cancer nurses.
As Mark Foulkes steps down as President, after a very productive two years, I step into the new role as President, and Mark’s very big shoes. Reflecting on the success of the UKONS conference, I want to express my gratitude to both the UKONS board the @ UKONS members and the wider cancer nursing community, for their tireless efforts, commitment to excellence and your unwavering compassion. We all realise that our work is far from over! We must continue to push the boundaries, embrace the latest technologies, collaborate across disciplines and advocate for resources needed to drive progress. We as a board are committed to supporting each of you in your professional journey. We will continue to seek and invest in education and training to give you the tools you need to stay at the forefront of your field. Always remember that your success is our success, which was so apparent at the #UKONS2023. As your incoming president I am honoured to lead beside this exceptional community and I am confident that, together, we will achieve remarkable nursing achievements in cancer care.
Karen Campbell - UKONS President