Job role

Hi I’m Helen. I lead the Uro oncology CNS team here at Airedale.

My role is to support and manage patients with a suspected or confirmed urological cancer.  Patients can go through a complex pathway which, at times can be very stressful especially when waiting for investigations and results.   It’s my job to support patients and their families both clinically and emotionally.  I offer specialist advice on urological cancers, treatments and offer signposting to patients to a wide range of services.

I lead a cancer 2 week wait nurse led triage service which I set up in 2019. This involves a comprehensive telephone assessment with patients where the requesting of cancer investigation takes place. This initial patient assessment has proven to be very successful in delivering better cancer wait targets which is obviously amazing for patients.

I am a Nurse cystoscopist which includes diagnostic cystoscopies, check cystoscopies for patients having had treatment for bladder cancer and I also remove ureteric stents.  I run and oversee Prostate assessment clinics for men who have suspected prostate cancer. This can include, investigating, diagnosing cancer and I also offer expert advice to men.

I am proud of the nurse led follow up service that I set up in 2018 for renal and prostate cancer patients that have had cancer treatment.  This service has freed up consultant capacity and allowed the CNS team to monitor patients in a more dynamic way offering more of a virtual follow up which patients find helpful.  As the CNS team has developed, I have been able to train the band 6 CNS’s who are now competently running their own clinics.  I am proud of the service we have built so far and feel my role is to continue to develop it in the interests of patient care.

Area of responsibility

Urology Oncology nursing team