Cardiff and Vale UHB nurse wins prestigious national Bowel Cancer award

Colorectal Clinical Nurse Specialist Caroline Trezise has won a national award for her ‘outstanding’ work with bowel cancer patients. 

The 2024 Gary Logue Colorectal Cancer Nurse Awards were presented on 19 September in Manchester. Caroline received the award in the category of 'nurse nominated by their colleagues'.

Caroline, who works at the University Hospital of Wales, was nominated by colleagues because of her work developing the new All-Wales Colorectal Peritoneal Metastasis Service over the past two years.

Chief Executive of Bowel Cancer UK Genevieve Edwards presented the award saying: “Our judges were incredibly impressed by the outstanding support and compassion Caroline provides to patients, as well as the innovative ideas she has brought to the hospital.”

The All-Wales Colorectal Peritoneal Metastasis Service is the first-of-its-kind in Wales. It gives bowel cancer patients that have cancer cells spread to the peritoneum (a thin layer of tissue inside the abdomen) the opportunity to access treatment that combines surgery with chemotherapy. Before the service was introduced patients in Wales were offered palliative chemotherapy, unless they applied to receive treatment in England. For suitable patients, the new treatment is shown to lead to survival for 5 years or more for over 50% who receive it. 

The judges praised Caroline for how well she supports patients who are referred to the service from health boards across Wales, making sure they have a smooth journey to their surgery.  

Jody Parker, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Cardiff and Vale UHB and project lead on the All-Wales Colorectal Peritoneal Metastasis Service, said: “Caroline is already an exemplary colorectal nurse specialist but has excelled further over the past two years in her role developing the All-Wales Colorectal Peritoneal Metastasis Service. 

“On top of her already heavy workload, she has supported patients across Wales that are referred to our new service. Her commitment is far beyond what is expected from her. Nearly 200 patients have been through our referral system with 40 having some form of surgical intervention with our team. Caroline is the key person in coordinating the multidisciplinary team, outpatient and inpatient management. 

“On top of the organisational and leadership skills Caroline has demonstrated, her compassion and pastoral support are second to none. Patients love her. She has a wonderful balance of honesty, openness and kindness and she provides this all to ensure the patient gets the right information and support they need through this difficult process even when it is hard to hear. Having had feedback from both patients and clinicians, Caroline is the unanimous theme in the praise they give.”

“Setting up this service has been a challenge for us all and I can honestly say that without Caroline, we would not have been able to deliver this. Like so many nurses that work so hard for their patients, she deserves the recognition and praise for the exceptional person she is.”

The Gary Logue Colorectal Cancer Nurse Awards shines a spotlight on the fantastic achievements of colorectal nurses who have a significant impact on patients affected by bowel cancer, provide exceptional care and show outstanding initiative. The awards were established ten years ago by

Bowel Cancer UK in honour of Gary Logue, who worked for the charity as a specialist nurse advisor and sadly passed away in 2014.