Funded by Action on Asbestos, Lynne Hunter joins national charity, Mesothelioma UK and will be based at the Western General Hospital
Lynne Hunter has been appointed as a Mesothelioma UK Clinical Nurse Specialist and will be based at the Western General Hospital. Lynne will provide nursing care and support for mesothelioma (asbestos-related cancer) patients in South East Scotland.
The post has been made possible thanks to funding from Scotland’s asbestos, industrial disease and injury charity, Action on Asbestos.
Lynne will work with Mesothelioma UK Team Leader for Scotland, Carolyn MacRae, and will link with colleagues across the region to promote equitable access to mesothelioma-specific support and treatment throughout the region.
Mesothelioma is a cancer related to exposure to asbestos and predominantly affects the lining of the lungs. The UK has the highest incidence of the disease in the world with around 2,700 people diagnosed each year. Between 50 and 60 cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in the South East Scotland region.
In her new role, Lynne will focus on caring for patients with mesothelioma at every part of their treatment journey, helping to make their journey as smooth as possible. She will provide specialist support and advice to patients, families, healthcare professionals, and link in with local patient support groups.
Most recently, Lynne has worked as a pleural nurse at St John’s Hospital in Livingston. Prior to this, she worked in general respiratory in St John’s Hospital.
Lynne qualified as Registered Nurse in 2012 and has also completed her clinical decision-making course at Napier University.
Commenting on her new role, Lynne said: “I am really excited to be taking on this new role and bringing my previous experience in respiratory nursing practice.
“I have always had a strong interest in this area of nursing and have described the role as my dream job and it’s finally great to get started.”
Lorraine Creech, Head of Nursing for Mesothelioma UK, added: “Mesothelioma UK is extremely grateful to Action on Asbestos who have provided the funding for this post and are now working closely with Mesothelioma UK to support and complement the work of the Scottish National Mesothelioma Network.
“Lynne is a very valuable addition to the Mesothelioma Nursing Service for South East Scotland and the Scottish Mesothelioma Network as a whole.
“Lynne’s appointment sees Mesothelioma UK reach 33 Clinical Nurse Specialists and seven within Scotland, providing dedicated care, support and treatment for mesothelioma patients throughout the UK.”