ABSTRACT
This subsequently led to my involvement in developing national standards as a co-author of the Royal College of Nursing breast care nursing competencies (Royal College of Nursing, 2007) and lead author of the National Standards for Nurses in Breast Screening (NHS Breast Screening Programme, 2002). Gaining national recognition subsequently opened other doors in relation to opportunities to influence patient care. I became a coauthor of the familial breast cancer guidance (National Institute for Clinical Excellence, 2004), co-author of the national guidelines for breast reconstruction (Association of Breast Surgery, 2007) and clinical lead for the National Mastectomy and Reconstruction audit (NHS Information Centre, 2010), working with the NHS Information Centre, the Royal Colleges and the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership.
