South East London Cancer Alliance (SELCA) is supporting the implementation of the ACCEND (Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development) Framework across South East London.
ACCEND is a national career development framework for nurses, allied health professionals (AHPs), pharmacists, psychologists and support workers working directly or indirectly with people affected by cancer.
It provides a clear and consistent approach to developing the knowledge, skills and capabilities of the cancer workforce, supporting career development from entry into cancer care through to more specialist and advanced roles. 
The programme is led by the SELCA ACCEND Implementation Lead, working collaboratively with the SELCA ACCEND Oversight Group.
The oversight group brings together Lead Cancer Nurses, AHP, education and clinical psychology leads and other key workforce stakeholders from Guy’s & St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trusts to support a coordinated approach across South East London.
In SEL this project started in October 2025; since then, the implementation activities include:
- Working with Trust leaders to develop local plans for introducing ACCEND into education, appraisal, career development and everyday practice;
- Meeting with cancer teams across South East London to raise awareness and understand what support they need;
- Promoting ACCEND through events including the Pan-London Cancer Nursing Conference and local cancer workforce events;
- Mapping local cancer education to ACCEND, with eight education programmes already added to the national Course Explorer;
- Exploring electronic portfolios that could help staff record their learning and development against ACCEND; and
- Developing practical resources to help staff and managers use ACCEND as part of career and professional development.
What have been the key findings and successes?
Although ACCEND is still at an early stage of implementation, there has already been positive progress.
A South East London oversight group is now in place, engagement with cancer teams is growing, and local education is being mapped to the national framework.
SELCA education has also gained wider national visibility. For example, the Learning Disability & Psychosocial staff training module was showcased through the National ACCEND Community of Practice, followed by increased engagement with the module on the national Course Explorer.
Why is SELCA support the delivery of the programme?
Developing and training the cancer workforce is a national priority. The National Cancer Plan for England (2026) highlights the importance of giving the cancer workforce the skills, education, training and support needed to improve cancer services. ACCEND is part of this national approach.
Across South East London, ACCEND can help us create clearer career pathways, improve access to education and development, support retention of our highly skilled workforce, and better match staff skills with the needs of cancer services.
By working across our three Trusts, SELCA can also help make career development more consistent across South East London while allowing each organisation to respond to the needs of its own workforce.
Ultimately, the aim is to have a skilled, supported and sustainable cancer workforce that can continue to deliver high-quality care for patients now and in the future.
Call to action
If you are a nurse, AHP or non-clinical support worker working with people affected by cancer in South East London, we invite you to complete our short 10-minute ACCEND Engagement Questionnaire. Your feedback will directly help shape ACCEND implementation across South East London.
Scan the QR code below or click on the link - https://forms.gle/nBGDyLkie9GNL1YUA to complete the ‘ACCEND Engagement Questionnaire’
Useful links and contacts
- ACCEND Course Explorer (ACE) – Find ACCEND-mapped cancer education and training programmes- ACCEND Course Explorer (ACE) | Find Cancer Education & Training Courses
- NHS England ACCEND Framework – Learn more about the national framework- Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development programme | NHS England | Workforce, training and education
- SELCA ACCEND framework implementation lead: Gstt.selca@nhs.net