Sarcoma UK is delighted to announce and congratulate Lucy Whiddett (left) and Nicola Day (right) as the winners of our Tricia Moate Award 2022.
Tricia Moate worked tirelessly as a nurse and as a patient advocate for sarcoma. Sadly, she died from sarcoma in December 2018. We dedicate this award to her memory.
As part of this award, Sarcoma UK offers sponsorship to allied health professionals (AHPs) and nurses involved in the care of sarcoma patients to attend the British Sarcoma Group (BSG) annual conference.
It has been a difficult couple of years for everyone, so it’s even more important to celebrate and support the work of the Allied Health Professionals and nurses working with sarcoma patients.
Lucy Whiddett is a Sarcoma Support Worker with the South Wales Sarcoma Service. She started the role in August 2019, which was new to the service. With the support of the nursing team, Lucy has since worked hard to make significant improvements to ensure sarcoma patients receive high quality, person centred care and support.
“I am dedicated to my role and passionate about supporting patients and their families through the diagnostic and treatment pathway” says Lucy. “I am over the moon to have won the award. I am really looking forward to making the most of this amazing opportunity, and using this award to its full potential to improve patient care and support”.
In her spare time, Lucy loves to walk. “Living in Wales means that I am very lucky to have beautiful beaches and landscapes right on my doorstep” she says.
Nicola Day is a Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist in Oncology Rehabilitation & Exercise at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. She has undertaken extensive post-graduate training in all things Oncology – including Pilates, Tai Chi, and a Cancer Exercise Specialist qualification from the Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Institute in the United States.
“I set up the ‘Rehabilitation & Exercise during Addenbrooke’s Cancer Treatment’ (REACT) Programme at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in 2016 using a charity Innovation Grant to provide physiotherapy input and safe exercise opportunities to patients undergoing Oncology at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust” says Nicola.
“Because of my keen interest in sarcoma rehabilitation, I was concerned about the lack of physio follow up for these patients and so applied for funding to redesign the physiotherapy and rehabilitation pathway between the hospital and the Sarcoma Specialist Centres across the East of England Cancer Alliance”.
This led to the creation of a permanently funded specialist rotational physiotherapist post for Sarcoma patients within the REACT team, and the development of a patient-facing, online education class for Sarcoma patients.
Nicola lives near Saffron Walden with her husband, two children, Mabel the Labrador, and a host of feisty chickens. “I enjoy Hot Pod Yoga and escaping to somewhere quiet with my kindle” she says.
Sarcoma UK is grateful to Tricia’s family for their ongoing support of this award. A huge congratulations again to both Lucy and Nicola.
Are you an allied health professional (AHP) or nurse involved in the care of sarcoma patients? Have you been in post for two years or less?
We are looking for applications for our next award. The upcoming EMSOS Award will help educate the winning nurses/AHPs to share best practices and innovations in the treatment and care of sarcoma patients. The winner(s) will be able to attend the specialist European Musculo-Skeletal Oncology Society Conference (known as EMSOS), which will be held in London in October.
We specifically are asking for nurses/AHPs who have been in post for two years or less to apply. We know that many junior staff have not been able to attend meetings to network and learn. This will be an opportunity for newer nurses and AHPs to engage with the wider sarcoma community, learn, share, and network.
There are currently only 16 Sarcoma Specialist Centres across the UK. This conference is an opportunity to engage with leading and world renown sarcoma experts, to share knowledge of caring for people with sarcoma, and to also understand the science that unpins that care. The learnings garnered from this conference will be shared with the wider sarcoma community, and inspire changes to practice and an ongoing motivation to be involved in the very specialist world of sarcoma care.
Fore more information and to apply, please visit sarcoma.org.uk/emsosaward.
Applications close 8 August 2022.
