CN43 Addressing the professional and educational issues for the cancer nursing and allied health professions workforce: A collaborative, strategic, UK-wide approach

Background: Cancer will affect 1 in 2 of us during our lifetime. Never has the time to focus upon the cancer workforce been more critical. The importance of developing the cancer workforce has been emphasised globally, within Europe and the United Kingdom (UK). However, within the UK, there is no nationally defined career pathway or agreed overarching competency framework for cancer nurses and the allied health professionals across the spectrum of the cancer workforce. Methods: A multi partnership collaboration within the UK, including Health Education England (HEE), Macmillan Cancer Support, UK Oncology Nursing Society (UKONS) and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), has developed the Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development programme (ACCEnD). ACCEnD provides guidance regarding the knowledge and capabilities required by the nursing and allied health professional workforce to care for people affected by cancer. Results: An overarching career pathway and education framework for nursing and the allied health professions has been developed. To support the implementation of the framework, four workstreams, ranging in focus from pre-registration to strategic leadership, provide guidance on the learning, development and educational needs and resources required to support the workforce throughout their cancer career. Finally, ACCEnD includes the development of a digital portfolio incorporating the framework to record practitioners’ development throughout their career pathway. Conclusions: The ACCEnD programme seeks to address and provide solutions to key issues that challenge the cancer workforce both now and into the future promoting both recruitment and retention. We welcome the opportunity to present the programme to the European Oncology Nursing Society audience