2026 Award Nominees
NCA Annual Awards
Announcing the Northern Cancer Alliance Awards 2026 Nominees
We are delighted to announce the nominees for the Northern Cancer Alliance Awards 2026.
These awards recognise the outstanding people, teams, services and organisations who are making a difference to the lives of people affected by cancer across the North East and North Cumbria. The nominations received this year highlight an inspiring range of achievements, from exceptional patient support and clinical leadership to innovative service improvements and collaborative working.
Every nomination tells a story of dedication, compassion and commitment to improving cancer care. Together, our nominees showcase the passion, expertise and partnership working that continue to drive better experiences and outcomes for patients, families and communities across our region.
We are proud to celebrate all those who have been nominated and thank everyone who took the time to recognise the incredible work taking place across our cancer community. We look forward to sharing and celebrating their achievements at this year’s awards ceremony.
Congratulations to all our 2026 nominees and thank you for the difference you make every day.
Award winners will be announced on 9 October at the NCA Annual Conference.
Category: Championing the Patient Voice
Beth Halliday
Speech and Language Therapist – South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Head and Neck Cancer Speech and Language Therapy
Sally Patterson
Highly Specialist Physiotherapist in Prehabilitation – County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Cancer Treatment Outcomes Team
Kay Southern & Lindsey Fothergill
Learning Disability Cancer Workers – NENC Learning Disability Network / Healthworks / Northern Cancer Alliance / Inclusion North
Service/Project: Learning Disability Cancer Project
Leslie Cleckner
Founder – Durham and District Prostate Cancer Group
Service/Project: Patient Support Group
Lorna Joisce
Operations and Engagement Director – Northern Cancer Voices
Service/Project: Patient Involvement and Engagement
Laura-Jayne Watson
Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist (Head and Neck) – South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust and partners
Service/Project: Co-Designed Animation to Support Community Healthcare Education for Patients with Laryngectomies
Personalised Care and Prehabilitation Team – South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: A Co-Produced Cancer Rehabilitation Programme
Jo Meynell
Macmillan Personalised Care and Health Inequalities Lead – County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Improving Cancer Support for Veterans
Category: Clinical Leadership
Dr Anu Kansal
Consultant in Pain Medicine – South Tees Hospitals, North Tees and Hartlepool and County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trusts
Service/Project: North East Cancer Pain Network
Lynsey Eddy
Advanced Clinical Practitioner – Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Dermatology Skin Cancer Service
John Moir
Consultant HPB Surgeon – Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) Lead
Joanne Peacock
Cancer Prehabilitation Project Manager – County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Cancer Treatment Outcomes Programme
Annie Jones
SACT Clinical Educator – Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy
Ann Ward
Lung Cancer Joint Lead and Lung MDT Lead – Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Lung Cancer Service
Beverley Fotheringham
Cancer Day Unit Manager – University Hospitals Tees
Service/Project: Chemotherapy Day Unit
Category: Going the Extra Mile
Ben Elliott
Educational Lead – Live Well with Cancer
Service/Project: Creative Writing – Live Well Writers/Live Well Lads
Rachel Gallagher
Skin Cancer Pathway Coordinator – Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Dermatology Skin Cancer Pathway Management
Durham and District Prostate Cancer Support Group
Service/Project: Patient Support Group
Thyroid Cancer Nursing Team
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Thyroid CNS Team – Holistic Needs Assessment
Ellie Davies
Health Improvement Support Officer – Public Health South Tees
Service/Project: Cancer Prevention and Screening
Victoria Martin
Speech and Language Assistant, Head and Neck – South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Head and Neck Cancer Speech and Language Therapy Services
Haematology Outreach Team
James Cook University Hospital
Service/Project: Care Closer to Home
Newcastle Skin Tracking Team
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Skin Cancer Performance
Breast Team
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Breast Services
Paul McNellie, Janice Ross, Martin O’Callaghan and Amanda Walshe
Cancer Services Team – Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Cancer Services
Gynae Oncology Nurses
James Cook University Hospital
Service/Project: Ova the Rainbow Support Group
Helen Bone
Lung Cancer Screening Programme Manager – South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Lung Cancer Screening
Category: Quality Improvement & Innovation
Caroline Ewers and Sophie Heslop
Speech and Language Therapists – South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: The Social Café (Head and Neck Cancer)
Paula Spark and Janice Wayman
Cancer Care Facilitators – Sedgefield North Primary Care Network
Service/Project: Cancer Care Facilitators
Gynaecology Oncology Team
Royal Victoria Infirmary – Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU)
Emily Turnbull and Rachel Lockerbie/Kathryn Jobes
Specialist Breast Care Nurses/Charity Manager – Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust and Women’s Cancer Detection Society
Service/Project: Children’s Books
Durham Dales Health Federation
Service/Project: SCARF+ (Skin Cancer Awareness and Rural Farming Cancer Screening)
Chloé McMurray
Personalised Cancer Care Prehabilitation Lead – South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: OPTIMISE Prehabilitation
Lung Cancer Outpatient Therapy Service and Combined Supportive Care Service
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust/St Oswald’s Hospice
Service/Project: Lung Cancer Outpatient Therapy Service
Durham and District Prostate Cancer Support Group
Service/Project: Patient Support Group
HCC Surveillance Development Team
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: HCC Surveillance System
Claire Powlesland
Advanced Clinical Practitioner – University Hospitals Tees/Leeds Beckett University
Service/Project: CLEAR: Co-designed Late Effects After Radiotherapy Service
Radiology Unmet Needs Project
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Radiology Services
Rachel Gallagher
Skin Cancer Pathway Navigator – Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Improving Skin Cancer Performance
Yvonne Anderson
Macmillan Lead Gynae Oncology Nurse – Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust/Macmillan Cancer Support
Service/Project: Established a pathway across the cancer alliance for patients who experience pelvic radiation disease
OvaCheck Team
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: OvaCheck
Pioneering Care Partnership Cancer Champions
Pioneering Care Partnership/County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Cancer Champions project – improving cancer awareness and reducing health inequalities across County Durham
Graeme Matthewson
Associate Director of Operations – Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Overall improvement of the skin cancer service at Newcastle Hospitals
Lung Cancer Clinical Nurse Team
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Nurse Triage
CNTW Public Health Team
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Inpatient Screening Pathways
Acute Oncology Nursing Team
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Immunotherapy – Meeting the Challenge
South Tees Hepatology Team
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Service/Project: Automated Cirrhosis Call/Recall System
Learning Disability Social Prescribing Team
Gosforth Jesmond Health
Service/Project: Learning Disability Cancer Screening Project
North East and North Cumbria Mesothelioma MDT
Northumbria Healthcare, Newcastle Hospitals, South Tyneside and Sunderland, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trusts and Northern Cancer Alliance
Service/Project: Regional Mesothelioma MDT
C Aware Team
Fishermen’s Mission/Macmillan
Service/Project: C Aware Cancer Community Project
