Available on the Learning Hub

This programme is available on the NHS Learning Hub. We recommend you read the information on this webpage to find out more about the programme before you access the learning (https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/ACCEND).

More information about the Learning Hub and the migration of elfh programmes can be found here.

About the ACCEND Programme

The Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development (ACCEND) programme provides guidance on the knowledge, skills and capabilities required by all nurses and allied health professionals who care for people living with cancer in generalist and specialist cancer services and roles as part of multi-professional teams.

This programme will increase and improve the supply of the cancer healthcare professional workforce in the future. It also provides the existing cancer workforce with access to the education and training needed to match the competencies required for their role.

Using a range of learning opportunities, including this elearning programme, ACCEND provides a definitive career and development pathway for those aspiring to work in cancer care.

ACCEND is underpinned by learning related to the 4 pillars of professional practice – clinical practice; leadership and management; research/evidence-based practice and quality improvement; and specialist cancer focused education.

We know that significant parts of the workforce are under pressure now and, unless we act, we risk being without the right number of health professionals with the right knowledge, skills, and capabilities to effectively deliver the NHS Long Term Plan (NHS England, 2019) ambitions for cancer and the independent Cancer Taskforce Strategy (CRUK, 2015).

Overview of the workstreams

The ACCEND programme covers; cancer support workers, aspirant cancer professional student programmes, registered professionals development programmes, cancer care professional development and clinical leadership programmes, cancer strategic leaders development programmes and a framework which underpins it all.

The overall purpose is to address some things that we know we are really missing; transformation and reform in education and training and career pathways for people supporting patients at all points of their cancer pathway.

For more information on the workstreams, please visit ACCEND workstreams | Health Education England (hee.nhs.uk)

Career Pathway, Core Cancer Capabilities and Education Framework for the Supportive, Assistive and Registered Nursing and Allied Health Professions Workforce

The nationally agreed multi-level education framework and career pathway for nurses and can support workers and allied health professionals has been created for those aspiring to move along that career pathway, but also to apply to those who wish to stay put, but to be the best you can be to provide the very best care, to support people living with cancer.

Please click here to view the framework and the implementation guides

The framework is for the supportive, assistive, nursing and allied health professions workforce who provide care to people affected by cancer in general and specialist cancer settings, services and roles across the UK.

The framework has 3 components:

1. Career pathway

The career pathway component identifies career levels for the workforce providing general and specialist cancer care. The career pathway can help support the sustainability and growth of the workforce providing cancer care and facilitate the movement of staff to work across services, as well as providing a career structure for the workforce.

2. Core cancer capabilities in practice (CiPs)

The core cancer CiPs are written at a ‘high level’ to enable practitioners and employers to contextualise the capabilities for the environment of care in which the service operates and the job/roles adopted for each level of practice. They can be interpreted and applied in the context of individual practitioners’ scope of practice, role, practice environment and the patient group(s) with whom they work

3. Education framework

The education framework component framework provides high level learning outcomes, syllabus and suggested assessment strategies for each level of the career pathway and to support the knowledge requirements of the CiP.

The framework focuses on a clinical career pathway. Other than providing the core knowledge, skills and behaviours related to cancer and cancer care for the general and specialist cancer workforce, the framework does not focus on a career pathway for those in academic/clinical research focused roles or those in strategic/system level roles.

Those practitioners caring for children and young people with cancer are also directed to additional resources to focus their learning on the specific needs of children, young people and their families. Also, to note, Palliative and End of Life Care (PEOLC) framework, although closely aligned, is out of scope.

The framework focuses on articulating levels of practice as opposed to defining roles/jobs. In articulating the levels of practice, the framework does not mandate the amount of renumeration, terms and conditions that maybe associated with roles/jobs. Issues such as these must be dealt with locally by employers; however, to assist the sector the career framework has made suggestions as to which types of roles one could reasonably expect to see at each level of the career framework.

Framework documents

ACCEND Framework User Implementation Guide and Appendices (.pdf) 1.92 MB

Supportive-Assistive ACCEND Framework User Implementation Guide (.pdf) 847.51 KB

Pre-Registration ACCEND Framework User Implementation Guide (.pdf) 924.98 KB

Registration-Consultant ACCEND Framework User Implementation Guide (.pdf) 1011.08 KB

ACCEND Career Pathway, Core Cancer Capabilities and Education Framework (.pdf) 11.19 MB

Meet the team

You can see a list of the people working on the ACCEND programme on our ‘meet the team’ page.

How to access

To access this elfh programme, you will require a Learning Hub account. If you do not have one, then you can register by selecting the Register button below. Note that if you hold a full elfh account, you can sign into the Learning Hub using your existing login credentials.

Register >

To view the ACCEND programme, select the View button below.  If you already have a Learning Hub account, you will also be able to login and access the resources within the programme .

View > >

NHS healthcare staff in England – ESR

The ACCEND programme is also available to NHS healthcare staff via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). Accessing this e-learning via ESR means that your completions will transfer with you throughout your NHS career.

Not an NHS organisation?

If you are not an NHS health or care organisation and therefore do not qualify for free access to the Learning Hub, you may be able to access the service if you have an existing OpenAthens account. Please go to Learning Hub and sign in with your existing credentials.

If you do not have an existing OpenAthens account, please contact elfh directly to check whether you may be eligible for access.

Registering large numbers of users

If you are a HR, IT or Practice Manager and would like to register and enrol large numbers of staff within your organisation for access onto the ACCEND programme, please contact elfh directly.

Organisations wishing to use their own LMS

For HR departments wanting to know more about gaining access to courses using an existing Learning Management System please contact elfh directly to express interest.

More information

Please select the following link for more information on how to use the Learning Hub