Cancer workforce in Teesside not keeping up with rise in demand
Almost 3.5 million people in the UK are living with cancer
Last updated 1st May 2025
We are hearing the growth of the cancer workforce across Teesside is not keeping pace with the increasing demand for cancer services.
It comes as experts say almost 3.5 million people in the UK are living with cancer, with Clinical Nurse Specialists offering a holistic support on a person's journey.
But South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust says its dedicated staff is aging and looking to retire in the next eight years, so it needs more help to keep up with demand.
Sarah Truman, lead nurse in cancer and palliative care, said: "These jobs are busy. Obviously we're seeing an ever increasing number of patients coming through and these nurses are supporting those patients. I think as a Trust there's a lot of things we're doing to support the development of these posts, and also to get funding for additional posts to be able to expand our teams inline with patient numbers coming through.
"I think there's a lot of interest. I think one of the things is when nurses move into these jobs, they tend to stay in these jobs for quite a long period of time, so often there's not a lot of turnover. I think we're very fortunate we've had a much more junior workforce and we've been able to support our nurses to upskill and train, but I think it's going to be a challenge to try and meet the demand.
"I think to kind of be able to build that relationship, trust and support a patient through that journey is such a privilege as a nurse. I think that's absolutely why I would encourage people to think about these roles because it absolutely encompasses everything we do as nurses.
"Cancer Nurse Specialists look at the patient as a whole person, so it's not just the impact of that diagnosis on somebody physically and kind of the plan for treatment, but it's also throughout that whole impact on the financial aspect of their life, the social aspect, their relationships."