Workforce

Our Local Workforce Programme

The Workforce Programme is an enabling work stream of the Cancer Transformation Programme for C&M. It aims to support the development of a skilled, multi-disciplinary cancer workforce, able to meet the demands of current and future cancer policy to support improved outcomes for people diagnosed with cancer in the region.
The CMCA Workforce Programme works in collaboration with the HEE (North West) Cancer Workforce Programme to increase the workforce, and, develop the knowledge and skills in the priority specialisms identified in the HEE National Cancer Workforce Strategy. The workforce programme is also now addressing the need to incorporate the requirements of the People Plan for the cancer workforce. The People Plan covers the following areas:

Growing the Workforce
Upskilling the Workforce
New Ways of Delivering Care
Culture & Leadership

Five diagnostic pillars have been identified and workforce groups have been established to take forward work under each pillar:

Genomics, Imaging, Pathology, Physiological Measurement and Endoscopy.

2021: Successes so far

During the pandemic all physical patient workshops for PSFU were paused and a backlog of patients built up regionally. We have developed and delivered our Virtual Group Workshop (VGW) training to over 90 CNS and Cancer Support Workers across Cheshire and Merseyside with a demand for more training dates which are happening throughout April and May 2021.

Early evaluations of patients (N=63) who have attended a VGW report that >90% rate the workshops as excellent or good and >90% felt comfortable raising issues by talking or in ‘chat’. Examples of comments received from patients include:

“I found it very informative and definitely really pleased that I took part”

“The on-line meeting was very useful for the content and purpose of the meeting. I appreciate not having to travel into a hospital, even more so now, given the C19 restrictions”

“It was all very relaxed and not as scary as I thought it would be so thanks”

“Meeting others who had had the same operation as myself”

“Talking to other patients afterwards”

“Knowing that you are not the only one"

An updtated Virtual Group Workshop Toolkit is coming soon.

We are excited to announce that this year will see the creation of our Cancer Academy, a collaboration between Clatterbridge Oncology Centre and the Alliance. The Cancer Academy will be available to all healthcare professional as a one-stop-shop for all cancer related educational and training resources

We have identified individuals to undertake accelerated accreditation for colonoscopy to support our Bowel Cancer Screening Programme with our target for completion end of June 21.

Neil Haslam has been identified as Lead Endoscopy Educator as part of our Endoscopy Workforce development and expressions of interest have been circulated for additional trainers across Cheshire and Merseyside to support this programme.

Working in collaboration with CCC we have increased the capacity for Advanced Communication training for Cancer Nurse Specialists using HEE grants specifically for aspiring and developing CNS.

We have had approval for funding from The People Board, along with investment from Macmillan for an exciting and innovative project to support a new network model for Head and Neck cancer around Speech and Language Therapy.