Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)

Your clinical specialist nurse’s name is:

Working hours:

Direct telephone line:

Your clinical nurse specialist is an experienced nurse who works with the other members of the team to provide high quality medical and supportive care for you and your family.

The clinical nurse specialist will make every effort to be present at your first consultation to clarify any information and discuss matters important to you. Unfortunately, though, this is not always possible. If they are unable to be there, you will be given a contact telephone number for the specialist nurse so you are able to contact them should you have any worries or need further information when at home. You may have to leave a message, but they, or another member of the specialist team will get back to you as soon as possible.

The clinical nurse specialist will be on hand to co-ordinate any treatment and investigations throughout your treatment and follow-up. Their responsibilities include:

• providing information and support; particularly around side effects and treatment
• ward visits during in-patient stays
• review during chemotherapy treatment
• being present in outpatient clinics (either at nurse-led clinics or reviewing you alongside the medical staff)
• organising and co-ordinating all aspects of your treatment and follow-up
• a point of contact for you and your family

There is usually only one clinical nurse specialist per cancer site and each individual clinical nurse specialist has their own timetable when they may be in clinic, in meetings or elsewhere in the hospital. The nurse is not office-based, so the phone will normally go to voicemail and ask you to leave a message. Your message may not necessarily be answered on the same day but will be answered as soon as possible. Remember, you can also contact your Navigator or the Cancer Support Advisors if your query isn’t clinical.

In emergencies, you should ring the emergency number, not your specialist nurse, so you can talk to someone and obtain immediate advice. This is a 24-hour service. Always carry your emergency contact card with you and put the number into your mobile phone along with your hospital number. You can also give this emergency contact information to close family members.