What?
The EONS Advocacy Working Group commits to pursuing activities that contribute towards the achievement of the EONS Strategic Goals as outlined in the 2024 to 2028 Strategy.
Objectives
Being an advocate and creating a voice for cancer nurses to be regognized and addressing existing disparaties in cancer nursing communities and continuing to advocate for cancer nursing on European level.
Raise awareness and influence policy on the importance of cancer nurses working conditions and the impact on occupational and patient safety.
Raise awareness and influence policy on the importance of cancer nurses working conditions and the impact on occupational and patient safety.
Identify and collaborate with the European stakeholders that deal with issues of concern to EONS, cancer nurses and people affected by cancer.
Cancer nursing is recognised across Europe for its positive impact on the lives of people affected by cancer through C.A.R.E. – Communication, Advocacy, Research, Education and Early career nurses.
Advocate to healthier working environments, health looking behaviors and the role of oncology nursing on prevention.
The Advocacy WG Team
Grażyna Suchodolska, Poland
Co-chair
Lena Sharp,
Sweden
Member
Merel van Klinken, the Netherlands
Co-chair
Ana Rita Dias, Portugal
Member
Paraskevi-Maria Prapa, Greece
Member
Nuno Salgado, Portugal
Member
Pilar del Valle, Spain
Member
İlknur Yazıcıoğlu, Türkiye
Member
Mary Tanay, UK
Member
Gizem Cakir, Türkiye
Member
Resources
Are you looking for guidance on how to advocate for your patients? Or for recognition of cancer nursing in your country? Or do you even have an ambition to improve policy in cancer nursing and occupational health? You can use the EONS Advocacy Toolkit to guide you!
One of the aims of the EONS Advocacy Working Group was to create a practical guide for nurses to become advocates in their field of cancer nursing. This document is meant to help raise awareness and to influence policy on the importance of cancer nurses’ working conditions, but also describes how to advocate for education and of course for cancer patients. EONS wants all nurses to be able to become advocates.
However, advocacy is a large topic which is not translated the same way in different languages. The definition of advocacy does not make things easier. Most commonly known to all nurses is their ability to advocate for their patients and to be their voice. However, nurses have a crucial role in advocating for themselves and the whole of the healthcare system where they can have a role in influencing policy, legislation and in lobbying.
This advocacy toolkit starts with an introduction to advocacy in order to understand what it is in general terms and specifically in cancer nursing. Also, advocacy tools that can be used are described along with some good examples and a practical checklist is included for advocating.
Four targets in advocacy are discussed:
1) advocacy in general in order to get a better grasp of definitions;
2) advocacy for people affected by cancer as our most important pillar;
3) advocacy in nursing education to increase quality of care and create awareness among early career cancer nurses;
4) advocacy for cancer nurses, so nurses can back each other.
A number of position statements and joint letters have drafted by the EONS Advocacy Working Group. Each of these can be downloaded as a PDF file.
2022
Position Statements
Joint Letters
No amendments to the BECA report’s recommendations on alcohol and cancer risk
2021
Position Statements
Priorities for Eliminating Cervical Cancer as a Public Health Problem in Europe
Joint Letters
Call to protect children from the marketing of nutritionally poor food
2020
Position Statements
Cancer Nursing Perspective on Europe's Beating Cancer Plan
EONS consultation on the United action for better health in Europe
Joint Letters
Call to Withdrawal the Common Agricultural Policy
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Members who have an interest to request a development of a new EONS Position Statement and/or Joint Letters can use this template (Microsoft Word format)
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/SPEECH_24_2573
ECND24
https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/services/free-movement-professionals_en
Directive 2005/36/EC, recently amended by Directive 2013/55/EC.