Amanda Procter is a member of our Cancer Alliance Board. She is also the Lead Cancer Nurse at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and began her career as a surgical staff nurse at Bradford Royal Infirmary before specialising in cancer care.
On International Nurses Day, read more about Amanda and her passion for nursing.
“I began my career as a surgical staff nurse at Bradford Royal Infirmary, on the acute surgical admissions unit. I found I had an interest in cancer care and embarked upon training courses related to cancer. This led to a nurse specialist post looking after patients with a upper gastrointestinal malignancy. I continued my education and completed a post graduate certificate in cancer care and became an independent prescriber. This enabled me to develop nurse led services in response to the patient need.
"My work on projects across the Trust tend to relate to patient experience and cancer pathways. I also provide leadership for the clinical nurse specialists across the organisation and we work together to share good practice and any service improvements.
"The patients I meet never cease to amaze me. Sometimes I am asked if I ever get emotional over patients. The answer is yes, I do, and I think it’s OK for health professionals to get emotional. We are human, after all, caring is at the very heart of the work we do and love. We must, however, ensure that it never impacts on patient care or decision-making.
"It’s also important that we seek help from our own colleagues to look after our own well-being. We have excellent support from our clinical psychology to provide regular, reflective practice sessions for our specialist nurses.
"I have loved all the nursing roles I have embarked upon, but this role gives me the opportunity to work with a wide diversity of professionals, not just related to cancer care. Although, in this role, I have very little direct patient care, I am in an ideal position to influence across the wider team to ensure we provide the best possible care for all cancer patients.
"It's great to be involved with the Cancer Alliance and it gives me the opportunity to influence patient-led transformation and improvement across West Yorkshire and Harrogate."
