Published on 28 July 2025
Understanding ACCEND: A new toolkit to support the advancement of cancer care education and development – A comprehensive guide, by Khandker Manzoor, Project Officer at CMCA and ACCEND
Introduction
Cancer remains one of the most significant health challenges worldwide. As treatments evolve and patient needs become more complex, there is an increasing demand for skilled professionals who can deliver high-quality cancer care across all settings. To address this need, initiatives like ACCEND have emerged as pivotal frameworks for education, workforce development, and role clarity within oncology services.
This blog post provides an in-depth exploration of ACCEND – what it is, why it matters, how its framework operates, its uses in practice, the resources available through its learning hub, and how it defines role profiles within cancer care.
It also outlines the resources held on a new toolkit, including animations, videos and other information which can be used to help understand the ACCEND programme and how it can help support the cancer care workforce.
What Is ACCEND?
ACCEND stands for Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development. It is an ambitious UK-wide project – initiated by NHS England and Macmillan as co-leads and Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance (CMCA) as a key partner through delivery. ACCEND is designed to support those working with people affected by cancer – regardless of their professional background or stage of career.
Purpose
The primary aim of ACCEND is to ensure that everyone involved in delivering cancer care has access to clear career pathways supported by robust education frameworks. By doing so:
- Patients receive consistent standards of care
- Professionals have defined opportunities for progression
- Employers can better plan workforce needs.
Who Is It For?
ACCEND targets all staff groups involved with people affected by cancer—including nurses, allied health professionals (AHPs), support workers/assistants/Health Care Assistants/care navigators/administrative staff—and not just those working exclusively within specialist oncology teams.
Framework Components
The ACCEND framework is structured around three core components:
- Career Pathway: This outlines the progression routes available to individuals at different stages of their careers, from entry-level positions to advanced practice roles.
- Core Cancer Capabilities in Practice (CiPs): These are the essential skills and knowledge required for effective cancer care delivery, tailored to each level of practice.
- Education Framework: This provides the educational structure needed to support the development of these capabilities, including accredited and non-accredited learning opportunities.
The framework defines seven levels of practice: supportive, assistive, pre-registration, registration, enhanced, advanced, and consultant levels 1 2 3.
Meeting the Workforce's Needs
Recognising the workforce's need for tangible examples to demonstrate the ACCEND framework's application, the CMCA developed detailed role profiles, engaging animations, and informative videos, all available within a toolkit now available on the ACCEND website.
This initiative, led by John Gale, CMCA Senior Programme Manager and ACCEND Supportive and Assistive Lead, and Khandker Manzoor, Project Officer at CMCA and ACCEND, provides concrete tools to help professionals understand and navigate their career development within the ACCEND framework.
Role Profiles and Animations
As part of the creation of a toolkit of resources for the ACCEND programme, John and Khandker, in collaboration with Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) from NHS England and numerous external stakeholders, led the effort in crafting role profiles of the main types of people working in cancer care.
This involved extensive analysis to ensure each role aligned correctly with the ACCEND framework. A standardised template was created to gather detailed information about each role, and stakeholders were engaged to ensure the profiles were accurate and comprehensive.
The profiles include roles such as a Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) nurse, Primary Care Nurse, Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), Therapeutic Radiographer, Dietitian, Physiotherapist, Cancer Care Nurse, and Occupational Therapist.
To enhance usability and understanding, three profiles—SACT Nurse, CNS, and Occupational Therapist—were created in animations which serve as dynamic visual tools to illustrate how the ACCEND framework can be applied to career progression. The Project Management Office team collaborated closely with original content writers to develop detailed scripts, ensuring the animations captured the essence of ACCEND and NHS branding. A rigorous approval process was implemented for all aspects of the animations.
Informative Videos
Additionally, John and Khandker embarked on a project to enhance the ACCEND framework's usability and comprehensibility through informative videos.
This initiative involved creating several videos in collaboration with various partners, including prominent figures in cancer care and education such as Professor Vanessa Taylor, Professor Richard Griffin, Julie Armoogum, and Mark Foulkes (MBE).
The videos address the lack of up-to-date resources for the programme, outline what the framework is, and serve as versatile tools for various purposes within the ACCEND hub. It is expected that the videos will improve usability, enhance learning experiences for visual learners, and increase awareness of the framework.
The ACCEND Toolkit
A key milestone in raising awareness of ACCEND, which includes the videos and role profiles, is the creation of the ACCEND Supportive and Assistive Toolkit.
Bringing together a wide range of practical resources, this toolkit supports staff and teams to better understand the ACCEND framework and apply it in workforce development, training, and service planning.
The toolkit includes a comprehensive set of categorised training and development resources:
- I am new to health and social care – for individuals starting out in the care sector
- I want to understand health inequalities and patient experience – applicable to all staff, regardless of role or experience
- I am new to cancer – for those entering cancer care within supportive and assistive roles
- I wish to enhance my knowledge in cancer care – for experienced staff looking to further develop their expertise
- I wish to progress in my career – for those seeking career progression within cancer care
- Additional Resources, covering:
- Cancer-related content
- Allied Health Professional (AHP) resources
- Leadership and professional development
- Support for supporting others, including links to services such as the Macmillan Support Line and Cancer Care Map
Why this toolkit matters
The toolkit is a significant step forward in supporting the development of the cancer workforce. It provides:
- Clear, structured development pathways
- Role-specific training and resources
- Practical examples through role profiles, animations, and videos
- A simplified guide to understanding and using the ACCEND framework
- A platform for ongoing learning and progression
This resource is designed to empower the workforce, improve consistency in development, and ultimately enhance care for patients.
You can access the toolkit here:
https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/accend-supportive-and-assistive-level-of-practice/
ACCEND website
Other resources available for people who want to know more about ACCEND are now on its dedicated website, including information on the Foundations of Cancer Care and ACCEND Framework Simplified Module.
Foundations of Cancer Care
One of the key features of the website is signposting to the Foundations of Cancer Care e-learning module. This comprehensive programme is primarily designed for pre-registration nursing and allied health professional students. However, it is also highly relevant for anyone working in supportive or assistive roles in cancer care.
The module has been very positively received by learners, with strong feedback highlighting its clarity, relevance, and practical value. It helps build a solid understanding of the key principles and practices involved in delivering high-quality cancer care. You can access it via the Learning Hub at: https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/ACCEND?nodeId=4620.
ACCEND Framework Simplified Module
A new e-learning module titled “ACCEND Framework Simplified” has been developed to help users gain a clearer understanding of the framework and how to use it in practice. The module is structured into five concise chapters:
- What is ACCEND and what are the aims of the programme?
- What are the three components of the framework?
- Who is the ACCEND programme for and how can it be used through the implementation guides?
- Why was the Learning Hub created and how can it be used?
- Real-life role profiles within cancer care
Each chapter includes key information, short videos, and knowledge check questions to reinforce understanding and support practical application.
Conclusion
The innovative efforts by the Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer and ACCEND teams in implementing the ACCEND framework highlight the importance of strategic role development and modern educational tools.
By combining detailed role profiles, engaging animations, and informative videos, combined in a comprehensive toolkit for cancer care teams to use, they have significantly contributed to simplifying and enhancing the ACCEND framework.
These resources are now valuable tools for users, aiding in better understanding and implementation of the framework, ultimately benefiting both healthcare professionals and patients.
As Richard Griffin, Professor of Healthcare Management at King’s Business School, said: “It’s really clear that the upsides are very considerable for organisations and for staff and for patients if these resources are implemented locally.
“ACCEND is an opportunity to ensure that the contribution of this important workforce is recognised and optimised and that’s good news for staff, for services and for service users.”