This role can now be funded under the additional roles reimbursement scheme. Advanced nurse practitioners (ANPs) are highly trained health professionals. ANPs in general practice are required to assess physiological and/or psychological functioning when there are complex and/or undifferentiated abnormalities, diseases and disorders, and develop, monitor and review related treatment plans.
Due to the wide advanced skillset, knowledge and attributes of this role there are numerous opportunities and possibilities for utilisation of this role for cancer patients.
In addition, there are new and emerging roles and teams, including frailty, palliative care and long-term conditions specialisms flourishing within primary care which all have exposure to cancer patients, often with very complex physical, emotional and psychological needs. There are opportunities to develop ANPs with a cancer specialism within a primary care network, and there are examples of this within the region. This is a leadership role with responsibility to improve the cancer pathway from prevention through to living with and beyond cancer, palliative and end of life.
An ANP can support the following:
Prevention
- Making every contact count
- Healthy Lifestyle Advice
- Signposting to services
Screening
- Promote screening in patients if not attended when opportunities arise
Early Diagnosis
- Knowledge of signs and symptoms of cancer and recurrence
- Safety Netting
- Clinical Decision Support Tools
- Fast track suspected cancer referrals and investigations
Enhanced Healthcare in Care Homes
- Management of care home residents with cancer or suspected cancer
- Support to care home staff including education, treatment and escalation plans
- Admission avoidance
- Widen skillset to all palliative patients
Personalised care
- Cancer care reviews (CCRs)
- Advanced care planning
- Management of symptoms that are the consequences of cancer and its treatments
- Acute oncological presentations
- Signposting to wider services, specialist and non-specialist
- Management of cancer patients
- Managing and supporting complex co-morbidity and frailty alongside cancer
Upskilling the ANP role will increase likelihood of early diagnosis and improve standards of care for cancer patients. This is a role that can actively support patients to stay at home and link them into the wider multi-disciplinary team internally and externally, which is often very important to patients. A Cancer specialist ANP can provide a gold standard comprehensive service to patients that improves access, ensures continuity of care and proactive management and support, and the ability to manage complex co-morbidities ensuring holistic care.
We can offer training and education to help you support and provide personalised care to cancer patients, improve early diagnosis and provide safety netting. Please see our resource package for more details.
We welcome ideas on further training needs or innovation. If you have a special interest in cancer and would like to discuss your role and further possibilities, please contact us to discuss further – wessexcanceralliance@wca.uhs.nhs.uk
Wessex Cancer Alliance provides a Primary Care Newsletter which provides up to date information and education offers. Please contact wessexcanceralliance@wca.uhs.nhs.uk if you would like to subscribe.
Macmillan also provide a Primary Care Update which includes latest developments, learning and case studies relating to cancer across primary care. To sign up please access the following link: Sign up for Primary Care Update
Please visit our education and training pages for details of cancer training courses searchable by category.
The national ACCEND programme is now live. The aim of the Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development programme (ACCEND) is to provide workforce transformational reform in the education, training and career pathways for those supporting people affected by cancer. Please visit here for more information: ACCEND – Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development – Welcome to Wessex Cancer Alliance
We have provided some insight on how you could utilise an ANP and how this will help deliver the GP Contract DES and other primary care responsibilities
The ANP role is evolving within Primary Care and there is potential for upskilling and using transferable skills to help support early diagnosis and management of cancer patients as part of their role. There are opportunities to develop or employ ANPs with a cancer specialism. We have an example of successful implementation of this in a PCN in the region – see our Advanced Clinical Practitioner project page. Please do contact mary.edwards@wca.uhs.nhs.uk if you would like to discuss further.
You may find it helpful to review the Wessex Cancer Alliance Primary Care Toolkit – in particular the topics of safety netting and referral guidance. These are provided to support any first-contact practitioner, including Nurses, in their contacts with potential cancer patients.
Wessex Cancer Alliance provides a Primary Care Newsletter which provides up to date information and education offers. Please contact wessexcanceralliance@wca.uhs.nhs.uk if you would like to subscribe.
