Mandie Davis (pictured) has worked at our Trust for ten years, however her most recent role, as the UK’s first Macmillan advanced support worker for an Acute Oncology Service, has proved the perfect fit.

Mandie supports our acute oncology clinical nurse specialists, who care for patients who have complications following chemotherapy, and those needing emergency treatment.

One of the things mum-of-three Mandie most relishes about her role is providing additional support and reassurance for these patients, especially if they need to come to A&E.

She said: “A&E can be a really daunting place so I will often meet patients and guide them where they need to go, so that’s one less thing for them to worry about.

“The interaction with patients is what I love most about my job. Despite what they are going through, I have found cancer patients can often be so positive. I feel I am sharing the journey with them. Part of my role also includes speaking to patients on our triage phone line, and I get a real tingling feeling when patients ask for me by name as it shows you have made an impact. Some need a chat and a bit of reassurance and it’s important we provide that.”

Mandie, of Dagenham, worked in social care before joining our Trust as a healthcare assistant. She then moved on to become an accident department assistant before starting her current role.

The need for a role like Mandie’s was identified by our clinical nurse specialists, who successfully applied to Macmillan for funding.

Not only is Mandie proud to be the first person in the country undertaking this role, she’s also working with Macmillan on a job description to spread the role to other trusts, supporting more cancer patients across the country.

Mandie added: “There is no typical day and I look forward to coming into work every day. Patients are my passion and we’ve had lots of positive feedback from them, and they really appreciate the support.”