Transforming Patient Care: Ceri Stubbs Awarded Doctoral Studentship at Velindre

Ceri has had a long career in nursing. Qualifying as a State Enrolled Nurse in the early 1990s, and converting to a Registered Nurse level 1 in 1998, she spent 15 years in adult intensive care before coming to Velindre. Ceri has studied extensively throughout her career, and has a BSc in clinical leadership, a PGCE in healthcare education and an MSc in advanced clinical practice. Following completion of her MSc, Ceri became the lead for the Acute Oncology Service (AOS) Advanced Nurse Practitioner team and has more recently been appointed as a Nurse Consultant. She is also currently the deputy clinical lead for AOS within the Wales Cancer Network.

Ceri didn’t plan to apply for a PhD. In fact, she had always thought research was a bit daunting. However, after a chance meeting with Professor of Nursing Jane Hopkinson, who felt that Ceri’s inquisitive nature and her idea on an aspect of patient care would be a worthwhile topic to explore for a PhD project, Ceri decided to apply.

Following her application, Ceri was overwhelmed to be awarded Velindre’s Doctoral Studentship in Cancer Care and through this charity-funded opportunity, she has begun a PhD project to explore the help-seeking behaviours of cancer patients who develop side effects whilst undergoing Systemic Anti-Cancer Treatment (SACT).

Ceri got the idea for her PhD whilst working in the Acute Oncology assessment unit. By taking calls from patients on the treatment helpline, Ceri noticed that patients would often delay calling the helpline for advice despite experiencing symptoms for prolonged periods. Patients would wait to be seen for their routine appointments and would consequently arrive for these already very unwell. This often resulted in them being admitted to hospital unexpectedly. It sparked Ceri’s interest in how patients could be supported to seek help sooner and what barriers they faced in doing so.

Impact on patients

Ceri’s PhD will have a significant impact on patient care here at Velindre. By exploring the reasons why patients may not seek help for complications caused by cancer treatment, she hopes to implement earlier intervention strategies to support patients at the point they become unwell. Ceri’s research will explore whether help-seeking behaviours vary by factors like age, gender or cancer type, with the aim of addressing the barriers that diverse patient groups might face. This will encourage patients to articulate their experiences during cancer treatment more effectively such as whether they are managing their side effects, and whether they can quickly and easily access the help they need. By also exploring these factors and others, Ceri hopes her research will improve patient safety by empowering patients to seek help at the earliest possible point.

Ceri got the idea for her PhD whilst working in the Acute Oncology assessment unit. By taking calls from patients on the treatment helpline, Ceri noticed that patients would often delay calling the helpline for advice despite experiencing symptoms for prolonged periods. Patients would wait to be seen for their routine appointments and would consequently arrive for these already very unwell. This often resulted in them being admitted to hospital unexpectedly. It sparked Ceri’s interest in how patients could be supported to seek help sooner and what barriers they faced in doing so.