A new fund is being set up that will enable EONS to fundraise for projects and support and for cancer nurses to apply for funds to support travel to congresses or help with capacity building! More information will be available on our website after 18 May.

On ECND2020 on 18 May, EONS will be launching a new tool: The Cancer Nursing Index. This important resource features a series of maps that present an overview of the cancer nursing situation across Europe. The focus will be on occupational safety, access to quality care and recognition of cancer nursing. We have collected a lot of data from cancer nursing experts and cancer nursing societies across Europe to create a broad and detailed picture. This data, including the maps, will be used for advocating for cancer nursing, including impacting the EU Cancer Plan and the revision of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive this year. The maps will be updated every two years to show the progress that is being made. You will be able to view and download the maps from 18 May from the new EONS website – www.cancernurse.eu

ECND2020 also sees the launch of a guide to help cancer nurse leaders to set up a National Cancer Nursing Society (or equivalent) in countries where these societies do not exist, and to empower staff of existing national societies to manage their organisation more effectively and strengthen their bond with EONS. The guide takes you, step by step, through the stages of starting and managing a national society, including key roles, action plans, governance and strategy. It will be available to download from the EONS website - www.cancernurse.eu - on 18 May.

EONS has worked hard over recent months to refresh and modernise its website – www.cancernurse.eu and we are now delighted to announce that the new site will be launched on ECND2020 on 18 May. Thank you for your patience during this major design and build work, when the site was not updated as often as usual. We hope you like the new website, designed to be more attractive and easy for EONS members to use, and packed with all the usual high quality information and resources about cancer nursing!

This Year of the Nurse and Midwife we decided to recognise two outstanding cancer nurses for their work in a special ‘ECND Strengthening Equality in Healthcare Award’. We have now received some excellent nominations which will be assessed carefully by the EONS Board. EONS President Andreas Charalambous said: “In the context of cancer, health inequalities result in patients having poor access to specialised treatment and being deprived of the opportunity to be cared for by specialised healthcare professionals, including cancer nurses.

“Providing competent, specialised, safe and equal treatment options to patients requires a collective effort among healthcare professionals, institutions and policy makers.

“From a cancer nursing perspective, there is a strong commitment to addressing and ultimately eliminating health inequalities. EONS is actively supporting these efforts and we will be awarding the ECND Strengthening Equality in Healthcare Award 2020 to two excellent cancer nurses acknowledging their contribution to reducing inequalities in healthcare.”

The award winners will be announced on 18 May. Each winner will receive free registration to the EONS Congress in September. Thank you to all those who submitted nominations for the award, and good luck!

European Week Against Cancer (EWAC) takes place between 25 and 31 May each year and is concluded by the World No Tobacco Day on 31 May. Cancer nursing plays a pivotal role when it comes to prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and access to innovative treatments. Cancer nurses with their professional expertise and knowledge are placed in the frontline of our healthcare systems working tirelessly more than ever to ensure that all patients have access to quality cancer care. In recognition of this, the organisers of EWAC have agreed that ECND can be a part of the Week.
Research shows that HPV vaccination interventions by nurses are associated with higher uptake, especially in underserved areas (WHO, 2014). According to the World Health Organisation, 30-50% of all cancer cases are preventable. Investing in prevention offers the most cost-effective long-term strategy for the control of cancer. EONS strongly believes that well-educated cancer nurses can play a significant role in raising awareness, reducing exposure to cancer risk factors and ensuring that people are provided with adequate information and support to adopt healthy lifestyles.

Fear of COVID-19 is delaying cancer diagnosis and care, putting lives in danger and risking unsustainable further pressure on healthcare services.
As millions of Europeans come to terms with the unplanned for reality of the viral pandemic that COVID-19 is wreaking on our populations and economies, we are seeing healthcare systems coping in different ways across the continent. There is no doubt that for nigh on 4 million cancer patients in Europe, the pandemic poses a whole new set of challenges and concerns for their treatment. “The pandemic is transforming cancer care in real time, with implications for patients, healthcare workers, policy makers and all sectors of the healthcare industry,” says EONS President Andreas Charalambous. Some countries, such as Cyprus and the UK, are able to treat cancer patients in cancer centres away from designated hospitals where COVID patients are being treated, or in separate pathways of the same hospital. Outpatient consultations for many have gone online in order to protect immunosuppressed patients from infections environments. “Telemedicine & E-health tools could provide us with a safe way to continue some patient consultations” confirmed Johan de Munter, EONS President-Elect and Hematology Nurse Consultant from Gent University Hospital, Belgium “but means of communication cannot replace all face to face consultations where crucial observations and psychosocial support need to be provided for our patients” he concluded.
There can be no doubt that many hospitals across Europe are facing challenges with staffing shortages, providing enough personal protective equipment and managing the higher number of patients possibly than ever before. However, our cancer nursing community is becoming increasingly worried about a new trend: less people with suspected cancer are contacting healthcare providers and fewer patients with ongoing cancer treatment seek acute care for complications and side-effects. A senior UK cancer nurse working on the front line stated that “I cannot believe the amount of people we are already seeing with new cancers that should have presented a while ago”. His colleague from Sweden, Helena Ullgren, concurs as she and her fellow cancer nurses “are wondering where all the oncology patients are, most people in oncology now only call with COVID symptoms.” Despite the more flexible lockdown in Sweden, EONS Past-President and Head of the Gotland Cancer Centre, Lena Sharp, reports “We’ve seen a substantial drop in cancer patient diagnosis over the last month which is completely abnormal and indicates that people are staying at home rather than seeking medical advice. Decisions which may increase the cancer burden and, in the worst case scenario, cost them their lives.” We see similar patterns in other countries and for other groups, even for patients with acute coronary symptoms.
Time is of the essence in cancer care, in so many ways. While there can be no doubt that COVID-19 has severely disrupted many treatments or prolonged waiting times, anyone who suspects they may have cancer of any kind should not be delaying contacting the relevant healthcare providers. People with ongoing or recently completed cancer treatment should contact their nurse or physician immediately if any signs or symptoms of serious complications occur. Early detection and close monitoring of side effects during and after cancer treatment are key elements for optimal outcomes and the COVID-19 pandemic does not stop cancer from spreading. Delays in diagnosis create a ticking time bomb for already over stretched healthcare services and patients’ health. “Anyone with existing or suspected cancer should not be afraid to contact their healthcare provider for treatment or diagnosis. Trust your healthcare workers to do everything they can to make the right decisions to keep you safe. Do yourself and your healthcare system a favour by preventing the higher personal and economic costs of delaying treatment” concludes EONS Board Member Wendy Oldenmenger, a cancer nurse from the Netherlands who has recently returned to clinical practice from academia in order to support the increased demands of the pandemic.

Johan de Munter, EONS President-Elect

COVID-19 is causing concerns for the cancer care workforce including cancer nurses in many aspects of their practice, specifically regarding the successful maintenance of infection control both for themselves (and families) and their patients. Echoing the needs of its member societies during this global emergency, EONS has prepared a series of online seminars and discussions to provide valuable and up-to-date resources regarding COVID-19.
Resources will be recorded and be made available to its member societies (as an open source). One, now available on EONS YouTube, looks at how cancer nurses with their expertise in using personal protective equipment (PPE) play a pivotal role in informing patients of safety measures to protect themselves from COVID-19. As Johan De Munter, European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS) President Elect highlights, collaboration of cancer nurses in multidisciplinary teams in oncology is essential to ensure the continuum of cancer care during the pandemic. He points out that, at present, ‘the evidence tells us that the situation is far from ideal’. View video and subscribe to the EONS YouTube Channel here

The 2nd ESO-EONS-EEBR Masterclass scheduled to take place in Belgrade, 3-5 September 2020 has been postponed. The new dates will be confirmed as soon as possible. The call for applications has been extended until 30 May. Applications should be made using the online application form. This Masterclass in Oncology Nursing is specifically designed to meet the educational needs of cancer nurses from Eastern Europe and Balkan region. Three intensive days of full immersion in up-to-date cancer nursing will create a collective spirit of teaching and learning to improving clinical skills and patient care.
Find out more and apply

We are now offering another fellowship programme for cancer nurses in Europe with our partners at the European School of Oncology (ESO). The aim is to encourage the reduction of variability in outcomes of cancer care between countries, as well as within regions in each country, by giving cancer professionals the chance to experience working in multi-professional teams in accredited centres in Europe. The nurse will spend a period of time in a clinical setting specially designed to increase knowledge, improve professional development and to encourage mobility between countries. The deadline for applications is 31 May.
+ Find out more and apply

One grant of 2500€ is available for the 2020 EONS Research Travel Grant. Both novice and established researchers will be considered. The grant funds one or two visits to the host institution (including travel at economy fare, accommodation and expenses). The focus of the grant is to build capacity and capability through a period of working closely with experienced clinical and/or academic researchers in another country. The deadline to apply is 29 May 2020.
Find out more

Cancer nurses have a crucial role to play in optimising care for older adults with cancer and those close to them. However, training, resources and support is often lacking. SIOG, CANO and EONS are working together to develop an international joint position statement concerning the role of nurses in addressing age-related concerns in cancer care. We invite nurses involved in the care of older adults with cancer to join in this discussion. Please fill out this short survey: https://surveys.nursing.utoronto.ca/292999?lang=en

Find out more

Don’t miss the latest issue of EJON: The European Journal of Oncology Nursing is an international journal which publishes research of direct relevance to patient care, nurse education, management and policy development. As an EONS member you can read it free.
Read the journal

Just a quick reminder to our EONS membership that they are kindly invited to renew their membership for the period January-December 2020. For more information and to complete the specific application form, please go to www.cancernurse.eu/membership/index.html

The European Public Health Alliance has published a guest article by EONS President Andreas Charalambous. In it, Andreas describes how COVID-19 means extra challenges for cancer nurses and their patients. Cancer nurses are being transferred to assist over-stretched general nursing teams and cancer patients turned away due to lack of beds and other resources, he explains.
Read the article

A recent report from the World Health Organisation, ‘The state of the world’s nursing 2020’, provides a clear message: governments should invest to accelerate nursing education and training, create nursing jobs, and empower nurse leadership. Without nurses, midwives and other health workers, countries cannot win the battle against outbreaks, or achieve universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals. The report says: “Our fight against COVID-19 has once again brought home how fundamental the nursing profession is to society and to all of us.” EONS is working at a high level with organisations like WHO, to advocate for better nursing education, the recognition of cancer nursing as a specialisation and address healthcare inequalities.
Find out more

Stakeholders across the EU are calling for action on medicine shortages, which they say pose severe threats to patient outcomes, patient safety and patient care. A new report released on Monday (27 April) hopes to help plug the gap. The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), alongside a number of its members representing patient and disease groups, has published a report detailing new recommendations to tackle the EU medicine shortages crisis, saying that patients “can’t wait any longer”. They said that the virus outbreak has brought the issue of medicine shortages to a head.
Find out more