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We are consistently having to think more and more creatively when it comes to workforce planning. Patient demand is at an all-time high and accordingly, an increase in funding for staffing gathers apace, however this needs to be balanced against the ever-present estates headache, and in context with the move towards integrated care.  When Haywards Heath Villages PCN detected that additional support was needed in improving patient outcomes for cancer and the uptake of cancer screenings, the Cancer Nurse Assessor role was born. Working alongside the medical staff and the ARRS team, Esther Walker’s role is more standalone and specialist in its remit and this week, both she and PCN Clinical Director Dr Katie Spensley talk to Ben about Esther’s initial approach, her findings so far, working alongside the ARRS staff, Esther’s aims for the future (both short and long term), the positive outcomes she is seeing and why she is already hugely well valued within the Haywards Heath Villages PCN team.

Introduction (0:09)

Haywards Heath Villages PCN (0:21)

The creation of the Cancer Nurse Assessor role (0:31)

Funding streams (1:28)

Esther’s background (2:22)

How does the role work in practice? (3:56)

Auditing the existing service (6:29)

What are Esther’s key objectives? (8:50)

The impact of the role on the PCN- and individual practices (10:25)

Long term plans; for Esther, the service, and the wider workforce (12:39)

Balancing resources against patient needs (14:03)

Esther’s reflections on the PCN transition (14:31)

Interfacing with the ARRS teams (16:43)

Development of staffing going forwards (18:37)

Lessons learned (20:04)

Finding out more / getting in touch (22:33)

Katie is very happy to speak to anyone wanting to learn more about the Cancer Nurse Assessor role and is contactable here.

If you would like to know more about the innovation within Hayward’s Heath Villages PCN, you can also contact their local federation, Alliance for Better Care (who have also recently featured on the podcast). Their website (which contains all the relevant information and contact points) can be found here.