Hospice and partners to host conference sharing latest updates in oncology

Health professionals who support people with cancer can get up to date with the latest treatments and initiatives affecting their patients at our unique oncology conference.

We’re working with Rosemere Cancer Foundation and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHTR) to present the Third National Oncology Update on Thursday June 28^th and Friday June 29^th.

This year – building on the previous update in 2014 and the first in 2008 – the scope of the event has widened, and is aimed at a variety of health care professionals including doctors, clinical nurse specialists, GPs and district nurses.

Highlights of the programme include sessions on new treatments such as immunotherapy, and the conference keynote speech about Enhanced Supportive Care.

The keynote will share local experiences of the initiative, which is being spearheaded by cancer centres across the country with the aim of ensuring people receive the appropriate palliative care input their situation requires, sooner.

Dr Valerie O’Donnell, consultant in palliative care at LTHTR, and Joan Devereux, a dedicated CNS in Enhanced Supportive Care, will deliver the session, showcasing how it works and how it is helping to support patient decision-making; improve symptom management and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.

Meanwhile, our medical director Dr Andrew Fletcher – who is chairing the two-day conference – will join with Christina Robinson, clinical transformation lead at Macmillan Cancer Support, to deliver a session around Survivorship and Palliative Care.

Dr Fletcher said: “Not only are there larger groups of people surviving cancer and living with the consequences of their cancer treatment, there are also increasing numbers of people who – while they will never be cured– are living for longer with the disease. This also presents its own issues and challenges.

“Our session will look at how Palliative Care and Survivorship are linked, and how we can work collaboratively to best support patients with cancer at all stages of their illness.”

The conference, being held in the St Catherine’s Marquee within the grounds of the hospice, will also feature sessions dedicated to some of the more common cancers health professionals might come into contact with through their patients, including breast, lung and colorectal.

Dr Fletcher added: “The two days are set to cover a vast amount of content, showcasing the expertise of colleagues at the forefront of oncology in the North West. It is a unique opportunity for professionals outside of a cancer specialism to gain a detailed and up-to-date understanding of the latest developments in the field.

“Though the event is being led by St Catherine’s Hospice, it is not only for palliative care professionals – the programme features a mixture of both palliative and curative treatments, and will benefit anyone who supports patients with cancer at any point in their disease trajectory.

“With this conference, we want to equip professionals who are supporting those with cancer with the most relevant and useful information, which can really improve and impact on the quality of life of their patients.”

To view the full conference programme and to book click here. A full conference ticket with evening meal costs £305 or £265 without the meal. A one-day ticket costs £150. CPD points have also been applied for.

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