The role of the
Health
Macmillan Nurse
It’s high time we sang the
praises of the Macmillan
Nurses. We all know they do
an amazing job – one that has
such a positive impact on so
many people’s lives. But we
wanted to know more. For
instance, what does it take to
be a Macmillan Nurse? What
are the sorts of challenges
they face and, perhaps most
importantly, how does it feel to
do the job? We thought we’d
better speak to some nurses
and find out.
We spoke to two Sheffield based Macmillan Nurses, Louise and Tracy, and
quickly got the sense that theirs is a job like no other. That’s because, unlike
any other role in the process, the job of Macmillan Nurse starts at the very
beginning of the patient’s clinical pathway – while they’re still coming to terms
with their diagnosis – and it goes on for as long as the patient wants it to. That
can be many years after the patient has finished their treatment.
“We meet people almost as soon as they’ve been diagnosed and we stay with
them for as long as they want. We’re on hand to help them whenever they need
it. That means going with them to clinical appointments, but it also means being
available to talk things through on the phone as well.”
“We talk through patient’s treatment plans with them so that they know exactly
what’s going on at any given time. That helps to demystify parts of the process
and hopefully makes the whole thing feel a little bit easier.”
“Some of the clinical pathways are quite complicated and take in a number of
departments like oncology, surgery, and speech and language therapy. One
day they might have to see the consultant, the next the surgical team, then the
dietician. So we make sure it all makes sense.”
The Macmillan Nurses are a patient’s first point of contact. They’re the people
patients turn to when they need to know anything about the process, or their
benefits entitlements, or they just need someone to talk it over with. And given
that the Nurses tend to work across a number of clinics at any time, they can
10 THE VOICE | Autumn 2011