Empowering your workforce
Attendees joined Sam Toland, Lead Chemotherapy Nurse, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, for a specially tailored interactive online workshop. Designed for leaders and managers working in oncology, the participants benefited from this perfect opportunity to share experiences and insights, explore innovative workforce models and enhance retention, resilience, MDT collaboration and team communication.
This event was exclusively for Trusts within West Midlands Cancer Alliance
5 hours CPD
By working through current workforce challenges using proven techniques and shared best practice, the attendees were able to return to their workplace with a fresh perspective and practical tools to support an engaged, resilient and productive oncology team. Key learning outcomes included:
- Clearly identifying roles and structures within your oncology service
- Using ACCEND as a framework to guide career development
- Supporting staff wellbeing and professional development
- Strengthening clinical supervision and communication
- Exploring career pathways in oncology
- Looking into new models for the workforce to maximise skills and efficiency
Convenient remote learning
Enhancing understanding
Designed as an interactive and practical learning experience, this dedicated training day equipped participants with the knowledge, tools and strategies to drive meaningful change:
- Connecting with like-minded oncology leaders and managers from across the country, sharing challenges and solutions in a supportive environment
- Taking part in interactive benchmarking discussions to explore current workforce challenges, team structures, retention initiatives and new models of care
- Asking critical questions and gaining practical guidance from an experienced oncology leader, with opportunities for live Q&A throughout the day
- Deciding your plan of action to start implementing improvements immediately when back in practice
Exclusive opportunity
This event was free to attend for Trusts within West Midlands Cancer Alliance.
Learning & development
Oncology National Networking Forums are pleased to be featured on the ACCEND Greater Manchester ePortfolio
The ePortfolio platform is available via the Greater Manchester Cancer Academy and supports professional development in cancer care.
This forum and all of our events are mapped to the ACCEND Framework and can be recorded in the Greater Mancester ePortfolio to help you evidence your learning, reflections and competencies.
To find out more, click on the ACCEND tab.
| 9:30 |
Join, tech support and opportunity to network in breakout rooms
|
| 10:00 |
Introduction, instructions and leader’s opening remarks
Sam Toland, Lead Chemotherapy Nurse, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
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| Key workforce challenges | |
| 10:10 |
Interactive discussion: Building a resilient oncology workforce
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| Current roles and their functions | |
| 10:30 |
Driving efficiency in your oncology service with clear roles and structures
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| 11:00 |
Questions and answers with Samantha Toland
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| 11:10 |
Interactive discussion: Streamlining oncology care through defined roles and responsibilities
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| 11:30 |
Screen break
|
| Initiatives to support workforce retention | |
| 11:40 |
Using ACCEND as a framework to guide career development and support retention
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| 12:10 |
Supporting staff wellbeing and professional development
|
| 12:40 |
Questions and answers with Samantha Toland
|
| 12:50 |
Lunch break
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| 1:20 |
Strengthening clinical supervision and communication to enhance team coordination and patient safety
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| 1:50 |
Questions and answers with Samantha Toland
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| 2:00 |
Interactive discussion: Enhancing workforce development and retention
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| Exploring career pathways in oncology | |
| 2:20 |
Encouraging growth: understanding roles, progression and professional development
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| 2:50 |
Questions and answers with Samantha Toland
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| 3:00 |
Interactive discussion: Building effective teams and supporting career development
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| 3:20 |
Screen break
|
| New models for the workforce | |
| 3:30 |
Maximising skills and streamlining roles to enhance patient care
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| 4:00 |
Questions and answers with Sam Toland
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| Build an action plan | |
| 4:10 |
Interactive discussion: Group discussion, reflection and action points explored
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| 4:30 |
Close of day
|
Expert workshop leader
Samantha Toland is an experienced speaker and lecturer who has previously been described by attendees as ‘especially engaging’ and ‘very inspiring’.
Samantha Toland
Lead Chemotherapy Nurse
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Who came?
This online meeting was ideal for and attended by leaders and managers working across the oncology service. This includes:
- Clinical Nurse Specialists, Nurse Consultants and Advanced Clinical Practitioners
- Sisters and Matrons
- Team Leads and Managers
- Clinical Leads and Consultants
Audience insight
This training day was the latest in a series of successful Oncology and Leadership Forums which have all received excellent feedback – but don’t take our word for it!
Course funding
The West Midlands Cancer Alliance fully funded this course, enabling eligible healthcare professionals from the below provider Trusts only to access this training at no cost.
- Birmingham Women’s & Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
- George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
- Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust
- South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust
- The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust
- The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
- The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
- University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
- University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
- University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust
- Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
- Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
- Wye Valley NHS Trust
Our education commitment
The West Midlands Cancer Alliance is committed to developing a skilled, confident and compassionate cancer workforce equipped to meet the needs of our diverse population, now and in the future. We inspire excellence in cancer education, build capability across the whole cancer pathway, and champion inclusive learning for every role. By sharing knowledge and developing future leaders, we strengthen our workforce and improve outcomes for people affected by cancer.
Implementing the ACCEND framework
Telephone triage training builds confident assessment, decision making and communication skills whilst the expanding capacity within SACT services supports the development of technical competence, workload management and progression across key capability domains. Compassionate and supportive leadership training strengthens reflective practice and people centred leadership behaviours, enabling staff to evidence professional values and development within the ePortfolio. All of the WMCA commissioned training aligns to the Greater Manchester ePortfolio and ACCEND framework for development.
Partnering for impact
Our partnership with SBK Healthcare ensures access to high impact, practice focused education that strengthens services now and prepares our teams for the future of personalised, digital cancer care.
About the ACCEND Framework
The ACCEND Framework is designed to enhance cancer care by providing a structured approach to education and professional development for healthcare professionals.
- It defines the essential Cancer Capabilities in Practice (CiPs) and offers a tailored educational structure to support progression at every stage of a cancer care career.
- Launched in January 2023, the framework aims to transform career pathways and improve training and development opportunities across the cancer workforce.
- It provides access to the education and training needed to meet role-specific competencies and includes dedicated resources for nurses, allied health professionals and those in cancer-related support roles.
- The ACCEND Framework delivers a nationally agreed career and education structure underpinned by clearly defined capabilities in practice.
Map your learning
All Oncology National Networking Forum courses listed on the ACCEND Greater Manchester ePortfolio are fully aligned with the ACCEND Framework.
You can easily log your attendance and map your learning to the Cancer Capabilities in Practice (CiPs) through the ACCEND Greater Manchester ePortfolio.
To do this:
- Register and log in to the Greater Manchester ePortfolio
- Click ‘Add Entry’
- Select 'Choose an item from the library'
- Change the provider to Oncology National Networking Forums
- Choose the relevant event you have attended (or plan to attend)
This tool offers a central space to track your professional development, reflections and achievements - supporting your ongoing career in cancer care.
Click here to access the Greater Manchester ePortfolio
