Pancreatic Cancer UK’s nursing team receive prestigious silver award

We are delighted to share the news that our fantastic nursing team have each been honoured with a prestigious silver award by the Chief Nursing Officer at NHS England, Ruth May. The team of 8 who were were nominated by Pancreatic Cancer UK’s Patient and Carers Advisory Board, received the award for going above and beyond their role to support people affected by pancreatic cancer and work with health professionals to raise the profile of the disease and improve care.

The Chief Nursing Officer Awards were introduced at the beginning of 2019 as part of a commitment to recognise the value of nurses and midwives.

The Pancreatic Cancer UK Team were nominated by the charity’s Patient and Carer Advisory Board (PCAB). Lesley Goodburn, a PCAB Board Member whose husband Seth died from the disease in 2014, just 33 days after diagnosis, said: “The Patient and Carer Advisory Board wanted to put forward the work of the nurses because it is often unseen.  I just find it phenomenal that they are able day-in-day-out to talk to people who have sometimes had a shock diagnosis; some people that have hope; some people that know the disease isn’t going to be cured; and they take the time and the effort to support all of them. I’ve done some work with patients and the feedback has been how great it is to speak to someone who was focused on the person and the psychological and emotional impact. It was person-centred.”

NHS Chief Nursing Officer, Ruth May, said: “The Pancreatic Cancer UK nurses do such important work. I’m delighted to have had the chance to personally thank the team with awards, for their contribution to our profession.”

Despite huge progress in overall cancer survival, pancreatic cancer survival has not improved for more than 50 years. No screening or early detection tests exist for pancreatic cancer and its vague symptoms – such as back pain, indigestion and weight-loss – mean the disease often goes undetected until after it has spread to other parts of the body

After being presented with the award, Pancreatic Cancer UK’s specialist nurse, Dianne Dobson said:

“I feel very humbled to have received this award and I’m sure I speak for the other nurses as well. This recognition is not just for us, it’s also for patients and their families. It’s an honour to be here for people who need support at such a difficult time in their lives. For many people, just having someone to listen to them is really important and quite frequently we become part of people’s families, which is amazing. We become part of their journey and I think that’s really valuable.”