The use of chemotherapy as a treatment option has increased in recent decades and is currently predicted to rise at around 7 per cent per annum within the West Anglia Cancer Network. With a national shortage of qualified nurses to work in this area, the role of the chemotherapy support worker was piloted for a year at a cancer unit in Huntingdonshire to look at new ways of working and developing the theoretical and clinical skills of health care assistants. This article describes the implementation and progress of the nursing team during the pilot and discusses the evaluation process used for this unique role.