Sally Convery - Nurse Consultant

My name is Sally Convery Nurse Consultant for Palliative and End of Life Care PHA. I have worked within Specialist Palliative Care services for the past 20years. Firstly, as a generic Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialist and then as a Macmillan Lung Cancer Nurse Specialist before moving into management. I believe it is a real privilege to walk alongside patients with a palliative diagnosis and I have learnt so much from them and those people important to them. I was delighted to be asked to be part of this study as I am passionate about advocating on behalf of the patient to ensure their voice is heard, their care is individualised and their quality of life is maintained for as long as possible.

Thankfully in recent years there is an increasing number of oncology treatments available for people who have treatable but not curative disease. I believe greater integration of oncology and palliative care is crucial to maximise the benefits from both services for the patient. It is essential that patients receiving palliative oncology treatment are introduced and assessed by a professional with the required palliative knowledge and skills at the outset and during their oncology treatment. This will support them to remain on treatment and help to overcome any potential barriers to palliative care in the future.Good palliative care acknowledges the anxieties and fears of the person whilst preserving hope for the future. It supports the early management of any symptoms as a result of oncology treatment or their disease and provides timely treatment with palliative medications to maintain the persons quality of life where possible. It also supports appropriate discussions about planning ahead and ensures the persons feelings, beliefs and wishes are adhered to.

As a Lung Cancer Nurse with palliative knowledge and skills I worked alongside the oncologist in the oncology clinic. This allowed me to assess the persons physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs at the outset and during their treatment to provide additional information and clarity in relation to their condition and oncology treatment. This also supported timely assessment and conversations to ensure any symptoms were managed and end of life discussions took place whilst maintaining hope for what their current treatment could achieve. Good communication and referral at the outset to the District Nurse for palliative assessment ensured they were supported in the community and their care was planned and coordinated into the future.

I have really enjoyed being involved in this reference group. It has been an amazing opportunity to use my past experience as a Clinical Nurse Specialist to shape the finding and recommendations of future oncology and palliative services. Moving forward it is crucial that we continue to use the voice and experience of the person to ensure both services are fully integrated through clear pathways, improved communication and collaboration. This work will support me as a Nurse consultant in Palliative and End of Life Care to influence policy direction for oncology and palliative care services into the future for people with life limiting conditions. It will also provide the evidence required to review, plan and refine service delivery to support the ongoing improvement that is required to maximise the quality of care received by the person.