Our Specialist Nurses
Richard Gledhill
"I qualified as a Registered General Nurse from the Queen Elizabeth School of Nursing in 1992 and since qualification I have worked in the urology department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, where I progressed from staff nurse to become Charge Nurse on the ward in 2001.
In 2003 I became The Prostate Cancer Charity Specialist Nurse at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital. At the time, this was the fourth specialist nurse post that the charity had funded nationally as part of the specialist nurse programme.
I am part of a team of specialist urology nurses in the department, with two colleagues on the cancer team and three colleagues on the benign (non-cancer) team. The uro-oncolgy team comprises three urologists and two oncologists. We offer open and laprascopic radical prostatectomy, conformal external beam radiotherapy and have recently started a brachytherapy service. Patients being considered for clinical trials are reviewed in the hospital's dedicated clinical trials department.
I have recently completed a degree in adult cancer care at The University of Central England and I run a nurse-led lower urinary tract symptoms assessment clinic, a nurse-led radiotherapy 'on treat' clinic, as well as pre-operative counselling and pre-brachytherapy voiding assessment service.
I had my first article published in the May/June 2006 issue of Nursing in Practice. I am a member of the Cancer Education and Resource Team (CARE) which is a group of specialist nurses aiming to produce national standards of best practice for chemotherapy side effect management."
Zoe Scaife
"I qualified as a staff nurse from Bradford University in October 1997, with my first post on the acute urology ward at Bradford Royal Infirmary. After a short spell in acute medicine, I returned to the urology ward, moving up the staff nurse grades. I also had a year's experience on the private ward of the hospital before starting as The Prostate Cancer Charity Nurse in January 2003.
The post has largely been dedicated to the support of patients who have advanced prostate cancer, from pre-diagnosis and throughout the treatment pathway. I have also been involved in the Bradford African Caribbean project, raising the profile of prostate cancer through such activities as the Domino tournaments and awareness weeks.
This post has been funded for three years by The Prostate Cancer Charity, and upon completion of the three year term in January 2006 it became fully integrated into the Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust funding."
Peter Gill
Peter Gill joined the team at Southmead Hospital, Bristol in May 2004. He has been well established in the field of uro-oncology for some years, dealing mainly with men with urological cancers. He was keen to focus on one specific tumour site - namely prostate cancer. He was instrumental in the development of the first Specialist Nurse role in men's cancers in Wales, based in Cardiff, and was in this post for eight years. He has also been a nurse manager for a palliative care team and managed acute oncology wards for more than ten years.
Since joining the Southmead team Peter has set up several new developments. He has a particular interest in sexual health, and established a nurse-led clinic for men with erectile dysfunction as a result of their treatment. He has also established a biopsy results clinic to help enable men to be given their diagnosis in a more timely manner.
He has also established a clinic where men return to have their catheter removed after their surgery - this procedure once involved an overnight stay for the the patient, it is now done at an out-patient visit therefore saving time and is more convenient for patients. He sees patients at all stages of their cancer journey, offering advice and support.
Maureen Hamill
I started my nursing career in 1980 and my first job on qualifying was in a urology ward. Over the years I have worked in many different specialties but my interest was always in Urological nursing. My most recent posts were as urology ward sister then Urology Specialist nurse before taking up the post of Prostate Cancer Charity Specialist Nurse two years ago.
The last two years have been very challenging but also very rewarding. Prior to this appointment there was very little support offered to men with prostate cancer in my area. I now see men throughout their journey from time of diagnosis to treatment and follow-up. This enables me to provide emotional support, information and advice and liaise with everyone involved in looking after men with prostate cancer. This holistic approach to the care of men with prostate cancer ensures continuity of care is maintained and all their needs are met.
The role of prostate cancer charity specialist nurse is pivotal in providing structured co-coordinated care for men with prostate cancer.