University launches new course to boost skills of cancer care nurses

Published on 6, May, 2025

The University of Sunderland is launching a new course in partnership with the local NHS Foundation Trust to ensure north-east nurses are equipped to care for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and other drug treatment.

Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) encompasses all drug-based treatments used to treat cancer, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and hormone therapy. SACT is designed to target and kill cancer cells throughout the body, rather than just in one specific location.

The University’s new SACT course, which launches this September, is designed for nursing staff and allied health professionals who are actively caring for or involved with patients who are undergoing SACT.   

It covers SACT administration, patient care, and safety protocols, with a focus on enhancing nurses' skills and knowledge. 

It will also include wider exploration of holistic care, and the impact of these treatments on the patients and their families

This is the only short course of its kind in the north-east which is face to face.

Senior Lecturer at the University of Sunderland and SACT programme leader, Karen Humphreys, said: “This course is crucial in helping develop and expand the skills of nurses who are already providing systemic anti-cancer treatment to patients.

“For example, chemotherapy, while effective, can cause significant side effects, and nurses need to be well-equipped to manage patient care and ensure their safety.

“Here at Sunderland, we want to give nurses caring for these patients the opportunity to thrive and we will be bringing together experts in the field to share their knowledge and expertise to ensure that patients and their families receive optimal support and care throughout their treatment.”

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The eight-week course will be taught on the University’s City Campus by lecturers and healthcare professionals working in oncology and associated areas across the region.   

Rachel Boyd, SACT Clinical Educator at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT), helped develop the course.

Rachel, whose role involves offering in-house SACT training to her colleagues who work in the directorate of Medical Specialities, said: “This will enhance patient safety as well as the nursing care patients receive throughout their cancer journey, a time when they will face complex treatments and regimes.

“The routes patients take from their referral through to their treatment within oncology and haematology are forever changing, as is how we access and manage a patient’s care and diagnosis as well as the types of treatment available.

“Therefore, by supporting accreditation and continuing professional development for our staff, STSFT will be able to encourage an engaged and prepared workforce which can move with these changes within this speciality.

“Having this accreditation will allow STSFT nurses to demonstrate their ability to study at a higher academic level. It will add to their clinical practice within this area of treatment and cancer, both in oncology and haematology.  It also means there will be further career opportunities within the cancer workforce, which is a growing part of our organisation.”

Also supporting the programme is Oncology Nurse Consultant at the Trust, Lynsey Robson, who added that the development of the SACT course plays a vital role in supporting staff development and ensuring the delivery of the most current and effective care for our patients.

For more information on the University of Sunderland’s SACT course and how to apply, click here.