Workforce and Education

Our Local Workforce and Education Programme

The Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance Workforce Team are shaping the future of the Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Workforce.

We will collaborate to equip and educate the cancer workforce by delivering on transformational and innovative programmes of work to achieve the aims of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. We will do this by training, retaining, and reforming the cancer workforce, whilst simultaneously inspiring a future workforce to enable Better Cancer Services, Better Cancer Care and Better Cancer Outcomes.

 The Workforce and Education Programme aims to deliver the ACCEND framework across Cheshire and Merseyside in 2026/27, embedding a consistent, capability-based approach to workforce development across all cancer services. This will be achieved through supporting provider organisations to align career pathways, education and workforce design to ACCEND, underpinned by a coordinated, system-wide approach to governance, digital capability through tools such as the ePortfolio, and strengthened regional collaboration. Through this work, the programme will support the development of a skilled, sustainable cancer workforce that is aligned to national priorities and future service needs.

The programme will develop comprehensive training and education for the cancer workforce, including The Cancer Academy website, which offers training materials, educational resources, e-learning, webinars and much more.

Founded in 2021, The Cancer Academy initially supported the cancer workforce in Cheshire and Merseyside. We now provide a UK-wide education and training platform, offering courses, webinars, podcasts and events, alongside signposting to high-quality learning from trusted partners such as Macmillan and Clinical Education teams at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre. Our team includes clinical leads, facilitators, project managers and cancer care experts, and we aim to be a trusted resource and community for the cancer workforce nationwide.

See: https://www.canceracademy.nhs.uk/

Our four main ambitions are:

• Providing outstanding training and education for the current and future workforce
• Leading in collaboration and partnership, offering relevant education across the system
• Attracting, recruiting, and retaining skilled individuals for the future
• Supporting workforce transformation to meet new challenges and deliver excellent patient care.

The workforce and education programme for 2026/27 includes the following projects:

• Create and offer a local cancer induction programme, mapped to the ACCEND framework and Capabilities in Practice
• Create a central education provision that supports providers and enhances wider education institution offers. This will support and guide the workforce in accessing relevant education with the national funding offer, creating a seamless process
• Immunotherapy toxicities: In collaboration with CCC, develop and produce a learning package on The Cancer Academy focusing on immunotherapy toxicities and their management, to address current inequalities in service provision
• Tumour specific secondary care education development and e-Learning, to be hosted on The Cancer Academy
• Development of an eLearning module addressing weight stigma within healthcare. The training will be written and created in collaboration between Health Equalities Group and The Cancer Academy.
• Cancer Services Workforce Modelling:  The project will strengthen the evidence base on the composition, capacity and variation of the core cancer workforce; develop workforce planning capability through targeted masterclasses and a community of practice; align regional activity with relevant NHS England workforce priorities; identify and respond to education, training and leadership gaps; and support collaborative, system-wide action to improve the sustainability, consistency and equity of cancer services.
• Local ACCEND implementation: For further details go to The Cancer Academy, https://www.canceracademy.nhs.uk/
• To Inspire the Future NHS Workforce: if you would like to read the evaluation report from our events that took place in 2024 or 2025, please contact Deb Spearing at deborah.spearing@nhs.net
• MDT Coordinator role optimisation: this work will review and optimise the MDT Coordinator role across C&M, ensuring the workforce is supported, skilled, and working to consistent standards that improve MDT function, data quality, and pathway efficiency. The project will identify variation in roles, capacity and training needs, and develop a standardised approach that strengthens MDT workforce capability and supports high‑quality, timely cancer care.

For more information on any of the above please contact a member of the Workforce team.

Workforce and Education Team and wider initiatives:

• Lynn Atkinson, Senior Programme Manager

The Cancer Academy Team:

• Vickie Stirling, Project Manager
• Aimee Hooton, Senior Project Officer
• Lisa Monaghan, The Cancer Academy Content Admin and Project Support

Education Delivery and Support (including PCCP):

• Jo Kinsey, Clinical Senior Project Manager, PCCP Lead and Clinical Lead for ACCEND implementation
• Sandra Rowlands, Clinical Facilitator
• Dawn Hickman, Project and Admin Support

Workforce Modelling:

• Isobel Wenn, Senior Project Manager and Lead for The Cancer Academy
• Ed Bourne, Project Manager
• Lucie Conway, Workforce Modelling Project Support
• Katie Farrington, Workforce Project Support

ACCEND and Inspire the Future NHS Workforce:

• Lucy Irwin, Senior Project Manager
• Deborah Spearing, Project Manager

Last updated June 2026