West Herts Breast Care Unit
Clinical nurse specialists
Our breast care nurses are specialists in the counselling of breast cancer patients. They discuss clinical issues arising before and after surgical and oncological treatment and they provide support for the patients' psychological and spiritual needs.
They provide additional counselling for breast reconstructions and facilitate with the fitting of breast prostheses and lymphoedema referrals. They are also trained in practical procedures, such as seroma drainage and implant inflations.
Nathalie Lewis - Macmillan Breast & Gynae Team Leader
Qualifications: RGN, BSc (Hons) Cancer Care, Principles of Breast Cancer BSc module
Nathalie has worked in breast cancer since 2010 working initially as the lead breast research nurse at RFH. She then moved within RFH to become a breast oncology clinical nurse specialist and at this point she gained her cancer nursing degree. Nathalie then went on to spend time at RMH and Imperial as a metastatic breast cancer nurse specialist before joining the SACH team to become Breast & Gynae Team Leader in 2018.
Nathalie has diplomas in advanced communication and loss and bereavement. Nathalie has completed several modules towards an MSc.
Sarah Page, Macmillan Clinical nurse specialist
Qualifications: SEN 1986 / RGN 1991, Diploma in Midwifery 1994, ENB teaching and assessing / Burns and Plastics surgical nursing course 1992, Certificate in Anaesthetic Nursing 2006.
Sarah
joined the breast team in 2014, completing the advanced breast care course in
2016. Since then she has completed an advanced communication course and carried
out several master classes in nipple tattooing.
She has worked in Plastics for several years at Mount Vernon Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital as part of the nursing Scrub and Anaesthetic team, and has continued her interest in this area in breast reconstruction and nipple/areola micro-pigmentation (tattooing clinics) which are carried out on a Monday afternoon in the Breast Unit at St Albans. An information leaflet is available on our resources page.
She was a national springboard and platform diving judge and still enjoys swimming, yoga, country walks and spending time with her family.
Sian Lewis, Macmillan Clinical nurse specialist
Qualifications: RGN, BA in Women's Health, Advance Breast Care course Royal Marsden, Advanced Communication Skills
Sian
has 30 years' experience in women's health and before joining our team, was a
ward manager for gynaecology and breast services at Hillingdon Hospital.
Sian is passionate about supporting women in the provision of psychological support through the difficult time of diagnosis and beyond in their cancer journey.
She has been a breast care nurse for eight years at St Albans City Hospital.
She enjoys running, gardening and baking.
Lizzie Lodge, Clinical nurse specialist
Qualifications:
Jackie Evans, Research Sister
Qualifications: RGN 2000, Haematoncology diploma/specialist Nurse 2003, Management and care of chemotherapy 2005, Advanced Communication Skills 2007
Jackie
qualified from University of Hertfordshire in 2000 and worked on the haematology
ward in Hemel Hempstead General Hospital, progressing to Ward Manager in 2006.
She remained in this position until 2009, when she joined the oncology research
team based at Mount Vernon and St.Albans Hospital.
As a research nurse Jackie is involved in the recruiting to, screening for, treatment on and following up for clinical trials. She attends the oncology clinic and breast multidisciplinary meeting on the Wednesdays at St Albans City Hospital. The remaining time is based at Mount Vernon Hospital.
