From surgical wards to the Support Line: 30 years of nursing with Pauline

Pauline has spent 30 years as a registered nurse, from operating theatres and surgical wards in Wales to setting up a cancer unit in Africa.

Today Pauline is one of the nurses answering our Nurse-led Support Line, speaking to people across Wales who are living with cancer, going through treatment, or simply trying to work out what happens next.

Thirty years of caring for people

Pauline qualified as a registered nurse three decades ago and has worked across a range of specialties. Much of that career has been in general surgery, caring for adults with a cancer diagnosis both before and after their operations, alongside several years working in theatre.

There have been spells abroad too, returning to Africa for short periods over a number of years to help set up a unit to investigate different cancers and to train the nursing staff there.

Closer to home came community work, training carers to look after people at the end of their lives so that they could return home at such an important time for them and their families.

From volunteer to Support Line nurse

Pauline first came to Tenovus Cancer Care as a volunteer on the Nurse-led Support Line.

During the pandemic that turned into a part-time staff role, which meant working from home and carrying on with the calls.

What a day on the Support Line looks like

The main part of the role is telephone support for people going through cancer treatment. Pauline and the team talk through side effects and assess for toxicities using a recognised tool used across the NHS, then advise on what to do next.

They also take calls that come in to the free Nurse-led Support Line, offering support and advice, and often arranging a series of follow-up calls for someone who is partway through treatment. Where it helps, they refer people internally to our Counselling service or our Benefits Advisors.

No two calls are the same.

The moments that stay with you

The word Pauline keeps coming back to is privilege.

Plenty of calls stand out, but one in particular comes back.

Help us keep the Support Line going

The Support Line is free, and it is there because of the people who choose to support it.

Nurses like Pauline answer the phone 365 days a year, for anyone in Wales affected by cancer. Expert advice, honest answers, and someone to talk to on the days that feel impossible.

Sponsoring a nurse for £5 a month helps us keep those calls going. We'll also send you a Tenovus Cancer Care pin badge as a thank you.