What is it about?
This article explores the possibility of up-skilling nurses to implement a nurse-led service for Head and Neck Cancer diagnosis. It is imperative for the NHS to consider alternative solutions in order to meet current diagnostic targets, which are a struggle due to growing capacity demands. This is the start of the discussion of how we can change current models of care and extend traditional nursing roles to help improve the services we are able to provide.
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Why is it important?
Faster diagnosis of cancer is widely acknowledged to have direct correlation to better patient outcomes. By increasing diagnostic clinic capacity we can support the faster diagnosis and help the NHS to meet their targets.
Perspectives
I am hopeful that this article will provoke discussion around how we can utilise our nursing workforce to support services that are struggling. It has been an amazing opportunity to extend my practice from a traditional nursing role and I hope that this can be replicated. I hope this encourages nurses to aim high and think laterally about their career and what our profession can offer.
Edie Byrne
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Setting up a nurse-led 2-week-wait head and neck cancer diagnostic service, British Journal of Nursing, July 2024, Mark Allen Group,
DOI: 10.12968/bjon.2023.0289.
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