The exceptional work of East Cheshire NHS Trust’s lung cancer service was showcased on the global stage at the recent Australian Lung Cancer Conference in Adelaide.
Hosted by Lung Foundation Australia, Karen Clayton, Macmillan Lung Cancer Lead Nurse for East Cheshire NHS Trust, presented and discussed the unique model of care and her journey to becoming a lung cancer nurse.
The Trust’s small but effective team supports lung cancer patients from pre-diagnosis to end of life care both in the hospital and across the community.
Based at Macclesfield District General Hospital, Karen has worked for the Trust since 2001, leading the lung cancer service for the last ten years whilst also taking on the voluntary role of Chair of Lung Cancer Nursing UK for 11 years.
She said “As Chair of Lung Cancer Nursing UK, I had the honour of chairing an international patients’ group for the Global Lung Cancer Coalition and presented a poster of their work at the World Lung Cancer Conference in San Diego last year.
“During the conference, I met Nicole Parkinson, my counterpart in Australia, and after discussing our unique service at East Cheshire, she invited me to present this model of care at their conference in Adelaide.
“It was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down and I do think it’s important to share knowledge and experience to improve patient care and I truly believe we have the right model of care at East Cheshire.
“Being diagnosed with lung cancer is a life changing condition, and supporting patients with this condition can be challenging but also very rewarding.”
Karen’s dedication to her role and patients also saw her receive a royal award in 2018, having been one of just five nurses in the UK to be given the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s Award for Outstanding Service at a Queen’s Nursing Institute ceremony.
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Image captions:
Karen pictured at the Australian Lung Cancer Conference in Adelaide.
Notes for editors
- For further information about East Cheshire NHS Trust, contact the Trust press office on 01625 663935.
- East Cheshire NHS Trust is the main provider of acute and community health services for people across East Cheshire. The Trust is based at Macclesfield District General Hospital, and also manages Congleton War Memorial Hospital and Knutsford and District Community Hospital.
- Follow East Cheshire NHS Trust on Twitter for all the latest news: @EastCheshireNHS
- East Cheshire NHS Charity goes above and beyond standard Government funding to make your local NHS that extra special. From supporting staff health and wellbeing to providing toys to brighten up our young patients’ days to making long stay patients feel more at home – our mission is to make a visible difference. You can make a donation to the charity on JustGiving here.
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