Cancer nursing: nurse leader gives message of hope for 2026
Professor Alison Leary, RCN deputy president, has urged cancer nurses to be more vocal about their contribution to patient outcomes, and underlined the value of cancer nursing
RCN deputy president Alison Leary urges cancer nurses and cancer clinical nurse specialists to be more vocal about their contribution to patient outcomes in 2026
A very Happy New Year to you all. As often is the case in January, you may be thinking about the year ahead and some of the resolutions you hope to fulfil in the coming months.
I recently had the pleasure of attending the UK Oncology Nursing Society’s annual conference and heard Alison Leary, London Southbank University professor of healthcare modelling and RCN deputy president, talk about the value of cancer nursing.
Professor Leary urged cancer nurses to be more vocal about their contribution to patient outcomes.
'Understand that your work is important and consequential; talk about the impact you have and articulate the evidence base for the difference you make to patients'
She described their value in recognising and addressing emotional distress in cancer patients and said they are crucial patient advocates and educators, particularly highlighting the important role of the cancer clinical nurse specialist.
Professor Leary's message gives cancer nurses support when they might feel fatigued and undervalued
At a time when nurses are perhaps feeling fatigued and undervalued in an overstretched NHS that is grappling with retention, her message offers support and hope. With a change of year offering a period of reflection, take heed of her tips: understand that your work is important and consequential; talk about the impact you have, not just the tasks that you do and articulate the evidence base for the difference you make to patients.
And with the start of this new year, I would like to let you know about an important governance update. From 1 January 2026, RCNi formally integrated into the RCN, and the RCN will become the data controller responsible for your subscription account and personal information, replacing RCNi.
You do not need to take any action. This change does not impact your subscription, access or rights under applicable data protection laws. Your data will continue to be handled securely and in accordance with our privacy policy (www.rcn.org.uk/privacy), which you can review at any time.
Should you have any questions or concerns about this change, please contact customerservice@rcni.com.
No doubt this integration brings many opportunities. I see this as chance to tap into some fantastic expertise within the college that I hope will help to demonstrate the value of cancer nursing and the impact you have on patient care.
