Two colleagues from Wessex Cancer Alliance, Mary Edwards and Helen Perry, were invited to present posters of their work at the UKONS conference this year.

The conference was entitled “working towards positive change in cancer care” and was also an opportunity to network with cancer nurses from across the country. The annual UKONS event is always a valuable experience for those who attend and enables members of the cancer workforce to hear from each other, share ideas, innovations and best practice.

The process of poster presentation was lengthy with abstracts needing to be submitted in June 2024.

Helen Perry presented a project she has undertaken, to create academic modules for the cancer care workforce. This was a team project which involved Wessex Cancer Alliance partnering with Southampton University to create the modules, implement and evaluate them, and teams of experts coming together to develop the content of the modules.

Mary Edwards shared a project she has been leading on which was evaluating the impact of an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ACP) being placed in Primary Care.

The conference abstracts were developed and submitted for judging by the UKONS committee. Those selected were then invited to create posters to display at the conference, with one of the authors in attendance.

Both Helen and Mary’s abstracts were selected and posters were also available for viewing electronically via the UKONS conference app.

View the posters here:

Evaluation of a Cancer Advanced Clinical Practitioner working in a Primary Care Network

Designing and Evaluating an Innovative Education and Development Pathway for Cancer Nurses

The conference was held at Manchester Central Conference Centre on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th November, 2024.

The Chief Nursing Officer for England –  Duncan Burton – delivered a motivational Keynote Address, which started the conference. A packed agenda for the 2 days followed, with informative sessions, led by engaging speakers, covering a range of subjects across the breadth of cancer care.

There were opportunities to discuss work and network with colleagues from all areas of the UK over the 2 days. There were also chances to visit the exhibition area and view the other posters on display at the conference.

It was an inspiring event.  Mary was awarded the UKONS Past Presidents Award for her poster, which was a well-deserved acknowledgement of the project and the impact of Tracy Gallagher’s role.

Helen Perry said: “Mary’s award was a fantastic end to a great conference experience”.

Helen Perry with her poster at the UKONS Conference 2024

Mary Edwards with her poster which also won the Past President Award for best conference poster.