Dr Louise Soanes
Chief Nurse
“It’s a privilege to work at Teenage Cancer Trust – to be part of the pioneering organisation in young people’s cancer care that continues to challenge the status quo, partner with others and co-create with young people to improve experiences and outcomes is truly unique.”
My career
Before moving to the charity sector, I was a cancer nurse working with children and young people in many NHS hospitals across London and South East England and in many roles from staff nurse to nurse consultant.
I also worked as a Senior Lecturer in Cancer Nursing at London South Bank University. As someone who was never academic, I have to my surprise studied for degrees, published and presented at conferences across the world.
I have always been interested in the third sector and worked with several charities related to cancer and healthcare which led me to join Teenage Cancer Trust as Director of Services in September 2019. I moved to the role of Chief Nurse in 2020.
My role
My role is to provide strategic leadership for Teenage Cancer Trust’s nursing and Youth Support Coordinator workforce, building on our successful model of care for young people with cancer. This includes supporting the development and engagement of our nurses and Youth Support Coordinators.
I also undertake cross-functional influencing activities, providing specialist, strategic advice to the wider organisation.
My work also includes maintaining our external reputation in the Teenage and Young Adult specialism, representing the charity among key stakeholders nationally and internationally, through media activities, conferences and other external channels.
I also work with Rosie Vare and our information team, to provide clinical support for our information production. This involves reviewing existing and new information content, both printed and digital, and ensuring that it’s clinically accurate and reflects the experiences of the young people we work with.
Teenage Cancer Trust and me
The opportunity to join such a dynamic organisation as Teenage Cancer Trust was enormously exciting. It’s great to work with colleagues across the charity, third sector and the NHS to deliver greater impact for young people and their families.