Inspiring Plymouth nurse becomes one of few to do something incredible for cancer patients

A pioneering nurse has won a national award for transforming pre-treatment care for patients with rare sarcoma cancers through an innovative support clinic at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.

Liz Ridgway won the Healthcare Professional Innovation and Excellence of the Year Award in Sarcoma UK's Shining Star awards on Tuesday evening at Mansion House, London.

The award recognises her groundbreaking work in establishing one of the UK's few dedicated prehabilitation services for sarcoma patients.

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As part of her PhD, Liz is exploring the role of prehabilitation for sarcoma patients - a critical yet often overlooked aspect of cancer care. Despite being in the early stages of research, Liz has made significant progress by establishing a dedicated clinic that provides rehabilitation services.

The pilot clinic offers each patient an individual care plan with access to physiotherapy, dietary guidance and psychological support. The aim is to optimise their physical and emotional resilience ahead of their treatment, whether that be surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Liz’s work can potentially transform pre-treatment for sarcoma patients by addressing their physical, nutritional and emotional needs.

The pilot will run for a year before it is evaluated. The hope is that such care will eventually be available to sarcoma patients nationwide. Liz saw a nationwide need for prehabilitation in sarcoma care, with only six out of 15 local sarcoma centres reporting established prehabilitation programmes. While there is evidence of benefit for the more common cancer sites, there is little evidence to support how prehabilitation may improve outcomes for sarcoma patients.

She said: “Prehab should be part of the sarcoma pathway, especially for the more complex sarcoma surgical reconstructions. We recently facilitated a sarcoma patient focus group to inform the project and research. Almost all of the patients said they would have benefited from enhanced psychological support prior to surgery - I feel this is a huge gap which would really benefit our patients.”

Liz, who has worked with cancer patients for 25 years and with a sarcoma team since 2009, has forged a link with a local sports and health centre college that will see patients have access to facilities and equipment, including an anti-gravity treadmill, strength and conditioning lab, fitness suite and swimming pool.

She also believes that the voice of sarcoma patients needs to be heard and she has held workshops in which patients can discuss their experiences and offer their views on the prehabilitation project. She said of her award: “It is amazing to win, I had no idea I had been nominated. It is very humbling because there are so many wonderful healthcare professionals. To win is a great privilege.”

Awareness of sarcoma among the public and health professionals is higher than it used to be and treatments have improved, Liz says, though there is still a long way to go. “Since 2009, I have seen great strides and Sarcoma UK should take credit for much of that.”

Liz added: “Sarcoma is the most interesting and challenging cancer speciality I have worked in. I’m inspired by my patients who have to overcome incredible adversity.”

Helen Stradling, Sarcoma UK’s Support Line Manager, said: "Liz's work represents a significant step forward in sarcoma patient care. By focusing on preparing patients both physically and emotionally before treatment begins, she's addressing a crucial gap in care that could improve outcomes for sarcoma patients across the country. With only six out of 15 sarcoma centres currently offering prehabilitation, her programme could become a model for national implementation."