West Herts Breast Care Unit
Breast Surgery
Breast Clinicians
Sue Coffey, Clinical Nurse Specialist Practitioner
Qualifications: SEN, RGN, BSc (Hons) Oncology Nursing, Non-medical prescriber, ENB 998 (Teaching and assessing), N53 (Pain management), A25 (Surgical nursing), Care of patient with breast cancer ( A 11 Equiv. Royal Marsden Hospital)
Sue qualified at Barnet General Hospital as a state-enrolled nurse in 1981.
She has worked at St Albans City Hospital since 1984 and became a registered
general nurse in 1997. Sue worked on both acute and elective surgical wards,
becoming ward sister in 2001. In 2003 she joined the peri-operative
specialist training programme, St Mary's Hospital, Paddington.
As an Independent Specialist practitioner she works along side the consultants, responsible for her own case load of patients. She is fully-trained in breast examination, assessing and planning care in the rapid diagnostic one stop assessment clinic, family history clinic and follow up clinics.
Sue helps co-ordinate peri-operative management of breast patients in the ward and clinic, and assists the surgeon in theatre. As part of the Breast Unit team, Sue also supports the patient as breast care nurse, counselling of breast cancer patients, discusses clinical issues arising before and after surgical and oncology treatment and provides support for the patients' psychological and spiritual needs.
Ms Candice Walls, Clinical Nurse Specialist Practitioner
I have worked in Breast Care since 1995. I worked at the Royal Marsden for 3 years on the Breast ward and clinics whilst completing my BSc In Cancer Nursing. This included the Advanced Breast Care Nursing module and during my time there I completed a Diploma in Lymphoedema among other shorter courses.
I took up a post in West Herts hospitals in 1998 as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Breast Care where I have supported many patients through their cancer journey. I run the monthly Breast Advisory clinic held at Grove House on the first Monday of the month for patients following surgery for breast cancer.
For the last 18 months I have been training to become an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Breast Care. I now have my own clinics for rapid assessment of new patients and follow up clinics. I review patients on the ward following their surgery here at St Albans and Watford. l also work with Dr Miles and the Acute Oncology Nurse to help manage patients admitted as an emergency at Watford General with breast cancer related problems.
The Courses I have carried out include Counselling and advanced communication skills training, Palliative care competencies and more recently Advanced Physical Assessment course for nurses at Kings College, London.
I am currently studying for an MSc in Breast Evaluation at Kingston Unniversity.
Kim Mullin, trainee Nurse Practitioner
Qualifications: RGN, BSC Clinical Nursing 2005, RCN Leadership Programme 2000, Diploma in Tissue Viability 2014, Advance Communication Course, 2016, Principles of Breast Cancer Care 2016.
Kim
has a background of ward manager for surgery and orthopaedics and became a
clinical facilitator working with newly qualified nurses in best practice. She
worked in HR as a recruitment retention facilitator before joining the breast
team in 2015.
She trained to become a breast care nurse and she worked in this position for eight years at St Albans City Hospital before starting her current post.
In January 2023, she has started her training to become an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and shortly starts her MSC in advanced clinical practice.
