Maria selected as a Prostate Cancer UK Champion
Congratulations to Maria Innes, Clinical Nurse Specialist, who has been selected to join Prostate Cancer UK’s Clinical Champions Programme.
She joins other clinicians from across the UK for the cancer charity’s 18-months leadership programme. The aim is to identify and develop future clinical leaders, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and support to improve care for prostate cancer patients.
Maria said: “I was shocked and delighted when I found out that I’d got onto the programme; I took a screenshot of my email and immediately sent it to everyone I know. I was beyond excited because I never felt this was something I could achieve and it means a lot.
“I work closely with Urology Consultant Wissam Abou-Chedid, who suggested that I apply to join the programme. Wissam was appointed to the previous cohort of Champions and found the charity’s support extremely valuable. In fact, one of his chosen projects for the programme - to offer patients self-remove catheters following prostate cancer surgery - is now being introduced in hospitals across London.”
As part of her application to the programme, Maria put forward two projects tailored to her work with prostate cancer patients. Her first project involves setting up a rehabilitation programme for radical prostatectomy patients. She plans to help patients better understand what to expect before and after their surgery and improve their access to well-being support to manage anxiety following a cancer diagnosis.
Maria is also looking at how patients can self-manage follow-up testing after surgery. She’s researching the use of a digital system to help patients log test results to reduce unnecessary clinic appointments and improve the use of resources.
She said: “We get a lot of feedback from our patients and I always listen really carefully to what they tell us. The idea for my first project was inspired by hearing that some of them found it difficult not knowing what to expect before their surgery, so this seemed good to work on and improve.
“I’ve completed the first module of the programme and it’s already been helpful, connecting me with clinicians from other Trusts to share ideas and information. The leadership element of the programme is valuable too. I want to improve my skills as a clinical leader, show what I can bring to the table, and find out where I can improve, but my main motivation and drive is a real desire to improve patient care.”