Claire Palles-Clark - St Luke’s Lead Nurse
Claire Palles-Clark - St Luke’s Lead Nurse for Teenage and Young Adults with Cancer
Claire Palles-Clark is St Luke’s Lead Nurse for Teenage and Young Adults with Cancer (TYAC), developing clinical care and support for young people age 16-30.
She joined Royal Surrey in 1998, and has worked as the Lead Chemotherapy Nurse, a Cancer Care Tutor at The University of Surrey and returned to the trust in 2012 to set up the TYAC service.
“The overwhelming motivating factor about my job is the young people who I have the privilege to help at such a difficult time in their lives. They are inspirational and challenging and always passionate about their unit and the need for specialist, age appropriate cancer services.
“I love the fact I get the best of all professional worlds and remain very clinical and patient focused, while having the scope to lead, change and develop cancer services. Setting up the Nurse-Led Chemotherapy clinics in 2005 changed how patients were assessed before starting treatment.
"I am committed to teaching and developing others and remain as motivated to deliver compassionate, expert nursing care as I did 32 years ago when I qualified!
“Why have I stayed at the Royal Surrey for so long? Professional development and the chance to set up new services, and initiatives have been exciting. I thrive on change, continually asking ‘how can we improve our patients’ experience of their cancer care?’
“It is of course, about the people you work with, many of whom are my friends too, including some nurses and consultants that I have worked with for over 20 years. St Luke’s has a fabulous multi-disciplinary group of people and I am proud to still be nursing here.”