UK’s largest network of specialist lung cancer nurses celebrates 20th anniversary with major rebrand to promote the membership’s expertise and professionalism to healthcare professionals and policy makers
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the National Lung Cancer Forum for Nurses (NLCFN) has announced a new name, Lung Cancer Nursing UK, along with a new brand and website intended to improve understanding of the expertise and professionalism of specialist nurses amongst healthcare professionals and policy makers.
With a launch at the organisation’s 20th anniversary national conference in London in November, Lung Cancer Nursing UK aims to empower specialist nurses to advance the treatment of patients with lung cancer. The organisation provides members with education opportunities as well as communication and networking with peers to meet that aim. Lung Cancer Nursing UK also provides a national and international voice on clinical and strategic issues for specialist lung cancer nurses.
Lorraine Creech, Chair of the Lung Cancer Nursing UK Trustees, said, “Lung cancer nurses are a core member of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) and have a wealth of experience and knowledge to bring to patient care.
The UK now leads the world in lung cancer nursing and our nurses are increasingly recognised nationally and internationally with invitations to sit on strategic bodies for lung cancer. National bodies are seeking engagement with nurses and we want our rebrand and new website to be a platform for getting wider groups of policy makers to see how Lung Cancer Nursing UK works and the value that we add to both strategy and patient care.”
Vanessa Bettie, Chair of the Lung Cancer Nursing UK Committee said, “We are a professional collaboration in lung cancer that affects patient outcomes and we have the opportunity to do that even better in the future. Since the Calman Hine report in 1995 established many of the healthcare practices we still see today, including multidisciplinary teams and specialist nurses for cancer patients, there has been a need for a network and support for nurses, including education, professional development, audit and research. This is the role that NLCFN has played and which Lung Cancer Nursing UK now aims to take to the next level. Specialist nurses are finding their voice and we want to help amplify what they have to say.”
In addition to its annual conference, which demonstrates members’ expertise through workshops, Lung Cancer Nursing UK has also published Good Practice Guides and a regular newsletter as well as founded a Research Interest Group and Thoracic Surgery Group. The organisation also provides small grants for research or evaluation, the results of which have been presented at national and international conferences.
About Lung Cancer Nursing UK
Lung Cancer Nursing UK, formerly known as the National Lung Cancer Forum for Nurses (NLCFN), is the only lung cancer specialist group run by and for specialist lung cancer nurses. It was established in 1999 to provide networking and support for specialist nurses who may be employed in a variety of roles and are often isolated. The experience and clinical background of the members working environments are very diverse, including palliative care, oncology (cancer centres or units) respiratory medicine, community and others. Lung Cancer Nursing UK therefore has a wealth of knowledge and expertise which members can access and which has been drawn on by a wide variety of national and international strategy groups. The organisation is now seen as an expert on clinical and strategic issues, contributing to shaping policy around lung cancer and mesothelioma care and improving provision for patients. For more information, visit www.lcnuk.org.
