At the United Kingdom Oncology Nursing Society (UKONS) Annual Conference 2015, which attracts cancer nurses from around the United Kingdom and beyond, Catherine Oakley, PhD, UKONS President 2014–2016, and Chemotherapy Nurse Consultant at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, explains the theme of the conference, ‘Patient Safety’, and the four subsidiary topics, ‘Haemato-Oncology Nursing’, ‘Early Diagnosis and Treatment’, ‘Supporting Cancer Nurses’ and ‘Initiatives in the Treatment and Care of People with Cancer’. She explains that patient safety means patients being physically, psychologically and emotionaly safe. It is about relational care and how doctors interact with patients to keep them safe. There has also been a focus on staff safety to ensure they deliver good care and keep patients safe. She then talks about the importance of haemato-oncology nursing. There is a large focus on the safety around drugs as there are a lot of new oral haemato-oncology drugs in development and the need for nurses to support patients in their treatment. Suporting cancer nurses is about helping nurses and looking after them so that they develop skills to look after patients better. Early diagnosis and treatment is extremely important to patient safety as it means a higher chance of full recovery.
