A Bowdon nurse who first walked through the doors of The Christie in 1983 is still there today - and still changing the way cancer patients are cared for.
Jane Booker, 65, is one of the longest-serving clinical nurse specialists at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, having dedicated more than four decades to supporting people living with cancer.
Her connection with the hospital stretches back even further. As a student nurse training at Withington Hospital, she spent eight weeks on placement at the specialist cancer centre - and it left a lasting impression.
"It felt very different from a general hospital," she said. "It opened my eyes to the possibility of working in a cancer-specific hospital."
After qualifying, Jane worked as a ward sister and later as a surgical unit manager, but she had her eye on the emerging field of specialist nursing from early on.
"I felt that the skills they were able to develop and use as specialists was something I was interested in and aspired to," she said.
In 1998 she became a clinical nurse specialist in urology, supporting patients with prostate, bladder and penile cancer. The following year, she piloted The Christie's first telephone follow-up service - a pioneering move that reduced the need for patients to make lengthy trips to hospital for routine appointments, years before remote healthcare became standard practice.
She later helped establish nurse-led clinics for prostate and bladder cancer, giving patients more flexible and accessible follow-up care.
When Jane took on her specialist role, she was one of only a handful of urology clinical nurse specialists in the entire country. Today she is part of a team of 12 nurses supporting more than 20 consultant clinics. The Christie now has more than 130 clinical nurse specialists in total.
Jane has also witnessed a fundamental shift in how cancer care is delivered - from isolated specialists to large, coordinated teams.
"The rise of specialist nurses has allowed more patients to be treated in a holistic way," she said. "There are now wider teams involved, including pharmacists, radiographers and physiotherapists, all bringing different expertise to support patients."
But for all the change she has seen over four decades, Jane says the heart of the job has never changed.
"Every day is different, even when the rota looks the same," she said. "Meeting such interesting people - patients I'll remember forever - is the reason why this role remains appealing after all these years."
