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Wales cancer plan calls for wider access to palliative care training

A plan for cancer services in Wales calls for palliative care training for nurses and improved access to clinical nurse specialists.
palliative care plan

A plan for cancer services in Wales calls for palliative care training for nurses and improved access to clinical nurse specialists


According to the plan, the network will support palliative care training programmes
for nurses and other healthcare professionals. Picture: iStock

Nurses in Wales must be supported to receive palliative care training, according to the country’s latest cancer plan. 

Launched in November, The cancer delivery plan 2016-2020 was developed by the Wales cancer network, which brings together clinicians and other professionals from across the country.

The plan urged the Welsh government to continue to prioritise cancer treatment, with new cancer cases rising by an average of 1.5% a year, from 16,000 in 2009 to 19,000 in 2014.

According to the plan, the network will support palliative care training programmes for nurses and other healthcare professionals, including those working in nursing homes.

Spreading out skills 

It said that while palliative care services were a notable success story in Wales, the skills involved in supporting patients needed to be spread throughout cancer services.

RCN Wales associate director (employment relations) Peter Meredith-Smith said: ‘We welcome the decision to focus on palliative care training programmes for nurses and other healthcare staff in order to develop the skills involved in supporting patients, ensuring that each patient’s end of life care is individualised in order to meet the needs, wishes and concerns of patients during this emotionally and physically challenging time.’

Other recommendations included regularly considering patients’ wishes to help inform their treatment plan, and providing access to a key worker to navigate them through complex care pathways. This would normally be a clinical nurse specialist, who would work with a wider multidisciplinary team to coordinate treatment and care.

Mr Meredith-Smith said investment was required to increase the numbers of specialist nurses.


Further information: 

Cancer Delivery Plan for Wales 2016-2020

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