Sarah Randall, Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), at University Hospitals Sussex is the proud recipient of the national Tricia Moate Award for her commitment to the care of patients with sarcoma.
The Tricia Moate Award, given by national charity Sarcoma UK, is dedicated in memory of Tricia Moate, a nurse and patient advocate for sarcoma who sadly died from sarcoma in December 2018. The award recognises allied health professionals and nurses involved in improving sarcoma care.
Sarcoma is a type of cancer that can appear anywhere in the body, with the two main types being soft tissue sarcoma and bone sarcoma (bone cancer) affecting more than 5,000 people a year.
Sarah said: “I am delighted to join the very impressive health care professionals who have been previous winners. Tricia Moate herself was a standout person and professional – she worked tirelessly to raise the profile and improve patients’ experiences – so it is humbling to have my name spoken in the same sentence as hers.”
Sarah, lead for service development in sarcoma services, was recognised for the instrumental role she played in establishing a sarcoma clinical nurse specialist team at UHSussex, having gained funding from Friends of Brighton & Hove Hospitals and the Surrey and Sussex Cancer Alliance.
Sarah explains: “Due to sarcoma’s rarity, patients with this type of cancer progressing through the diagnostic pathway, did not have a specific cancer CNS team who were dedicated to caring for patients with this form of cancer.
“The value of a CNS at the time of diagnosis and throughout cancer management is vital. The diagnostic and treatment pathways for these patients are very complex due to the specialist nature of the disease, so the need for support is paramount. I am so proud that we can now offer this service and wholeheartedly believe all organisations who provide cancer CNS services should have a dedicated CNS for all patients with sarcoma in the future.”
Patients at UHSussex have access to a local CNS who provides a proactive and responsive service to support them through their cancer journey.
Sarah’s dedicated efforts to improving the care of sarcoma includes the introduction of nurse-led clinics for patients with sarcoma which include discussing treatment options, symptom assessment and psychosocial support, and an investigation results clinic.
Improvements have also been made to the written information for patients on the diagnostic pathway and the communication with specialist sarcoma centres – now sarcoma CNS’s play a critical role in the multi-disciplinary team meetings where patient care is discussed.
Oncology clinic support is also now available at Royal Sussex County Hospital and in Eastbourne, led by the local sarcoma oncologist.
As well as supporting these oncology clinics, Sarah and the team provide ongoing support, information and advice for patients with sarcoma across UHSussex and communities in East Sussex and she provides leadership to colleagues within the sarcoma and wider cancer CNS team.
Sarah said: “Thanks to the incredible efforts of our team and the unwavering support from organisations like Sarcoma UK and generous charitable funding, sarcoma care has come on leaps and bounds and I’m proud that we can now offer the level of care our patients with sarcoma truly deserve.”
The Tricia Moate Award supports allied health professionals (AHPs) and nurses involved in sarcoma care to improve their knowledge, network with peers within sarcoma services and help put their learning into improving sarcoma patient care.
As part of this award, Sarcoma UK offers sponsorship to those professionals involved in the care of patients with sarcoma to attend next year’s British Sarcoma Group (BSG) annual conference.