Publish date: 16 March 2026
"The real joy comes from being able to make even a small difference to someone during a time when life can feel very uncertain" - National Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist Day 2026
To celebrate National Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist Day 2026, Emily Stewart,a haematology clinical nurse specialist, spoke to us about her role:
As a clinical nurse specialist in haematology at Northumbria Healthcare, I support patients with conditions that affect the blood. Many of the people I see have blood cancers such as lymphoma, myeloma, leukaemia, myelodysplastic syndrome or myeloproliferative neoplasms. I also help care for patients with non-cancerous blood conditions, including immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), red cell disorders and problems with blood clotting.
Often, a patient’s journey starts when their GP identifies a potential blood issue and refers them to the haematology team for further investigation and diagnosis. From there, my role is to provide information, support and reassurance as people navigate what can be a very difficult time.
One of the most valuable parts of the role is that patients have a direct line to their clinical nurse specialist. If they have questions or concerns between appointments, they can contact me and I can help directly or link in with the consultant team if needed. It means patients have someone they know they can turn to.
We deal with serious conditions and take our job very seriously, but we also try to create a warm and sometimes jovial atmosphere where we can. Being in our care can sometimes be scary and bring a lot of anxiety, so it’s important that we make our patients feel comfortable and relaxed. Building those relationships and getting to know people is a really important part of what we do.
The real joy in the role comes from being able to make even a small difference to someone during a time when life can feel very uncertain. Being there to support patients and their families every step of the way is incredibly rewarding.
Media contact
Christopher Magee, marketing and communications officer, christopher.magee@northumbria-healthcare.nhs.uk.