Meet the team
The steering committee for the Cancer and Breast Care Nursing Forum was formed in October 2011.
- Maria Noblet, Chair
- Rosemary Whittle
- Lorraine Turner
- Victoria Harmer
- Susanne Cruickshank
- Karen Burnet
- Abigail Powell
Forum news editor:
Maria Noblet, Chair
My career in breast cancer nursing spans some 20 years, initially as a breast care nurse and progressing to the role of Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Nightingale Centre at the University Hospital of South Manchester.
The centre is purpose built to care for women who have or think they may have breast cancer, providing an internationally recognised family history and genetic service and a large breast screening department.
I work in a team composed of seven specialist breast nurses and we have contributed to shaping breast cancer nursing by introducing new and innovative ways of practice over many years.
I have a Masters in Clinical Nursing and the focus of my career to date has been in direct patient care.
As a forum activist
For the last two years it has been my pleasure to represent breast care nurses and nursing as Chair of the RCN Breast Cancer Nursing Forum, together with an exceptional group of inspiring, hard-working and motivated breast care nurses.
Taking into account the experienced views of the breast cancer nursing community throughout the UK, we have produced standards for the care of women with breast disease and a competency framework for the practice of breast care nursing.
Alongside this we have successfully created partnerships with charitable organisations, other RCN forum groups, the NHS Breast Screening Programme, the Department of Health and the British Association of Surgical Oncology.
The ongoing success of our Breast Care Nursing Forum Conference provides an opportunity for nurses in our sub-speciality to share and learn from each other, to improve and to question the care we give. The conference also provides an excellent opportunity for networking and planning priorities for action.
Which way now?
The merger of the breast and cancer nursing forums presents us with an opportunity to provide leadership together, giving cancer nursing and nurses a strong voice within the RCN – to lobby for patient care, contribute to future DH policy, form new and dynamic partnerships, share practice and learn from each other how best to practice.
As a forum we are keen to develop links with our members and we are working with the RCN to develop our website as a convenient place for you to share your views and contribute your experience to cancer nursing practice.
Email Maria Noblet
Dion Smyth
As an ex-officio member of the RCN Cancer and Breast Care Forum Committee, I have shared responsibility for the production of the newsletter and the updating and development of the website content.
I have worked in cancer care for over 20 years, primarily in haemato-oncology, including positions as a Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialist. After five years with Marie Curie Education, I moved into my present position at Birmingham City University, where for the past five years I have been teaching pre- and post-nursing courses.
I was a committee member of the West Midlands Cancer Forum and editor of their newsletter before taking on the national role in the early 2000s. I have written and presented resolutions at Congress, spoken at fringe events and contributed to the development and delivery of our national conference events.
I look forward to working within the newly established forum and to hearing about and reporting on the innovative and imaginative ways of providing cancer care, research and education from within and without the RCN.
Email Dion Smyth.