Aims Discussion of an innovative approach to education which meets local need and has evaluated very positively by students.

Methods Improving Outcomes in Children and Young People with Cancer (NICE, 2005) recommended that nurses working in this field should be offered appropriate post qualifying specialist education. This has proved challenging for many of the tertiary Paediatric Oncology centres as local Universities cut the number of modules they offer. The Paediatric Oncology Nurse Educators group, within the RCN, have been concerned about the diminishing number of validated modules available for some time.

Recently a ‘shared care’ hospital approached my University to ask if a validated module about children with cancer was available. Fortuitously I had the expertise and knowledge to write such a module at level 6 and 7. I made a case to serve local need and create an option module for the pre-registration nursing programme and successfully developed the module which has recruited 42 students over 3 deliveries.

A Lead Children’s Cancer nurse, from a different region, heard about the module and approached me to see if the module could be delivered ‘off campus’ to meet her local need. ELearning has been used to offer education across regional and international boundaries but the lead nurse was very keen to encourage face to face networking of tertiary centre nurses, shared care hospital nurses and community nurses.

Contracts were negotiated between the Regional education commissioner and my university. I delivered the module at the Tertiary centre and attracted 14 students from the region. Specialist speakers from the Tertiary centre willingly contributed to the timetable as it was on their ‘doorstep’.

The evaluation of the module was very positive e.g.

“Already taken knowledge gained from this course back to practice”

“Great to discuss all aspects of treatment and care from tertiary, acute, DGH and community perspectives”

This has been a worthwhile collaboration which has evaluated well and enabled appropriate education to be delivered ‘closer to home’. Hopefully it will happen again next year!