Wythenshawe Hospital

Nursing Trustee

Katy is a Nurse Consultant in Breast at the Nightingale Breast Unit, Manchester Foundation Trust. Katy qualified as a registered nurse in 1996 and began her professional career in theatres before becoming a Surgical Care Practitioner. In 2006 Katy undertook a masters module in advanced skills in breast care before undertaking the Advanced Clinical Practice Msc at the University of Central Lancashire. Katy was a Lead Clinical Nurse Specialist in Breast care for 10 years in Stockport, a unit which supported newly diagnosed breast cancer patients through to palliative care. Since 2019 Katy has worked at MFT, initially in the role of Advanced Nurse Practitioner and more recently as a Nurse Consultant. In 2021 Katy was awarded, along with a colleague, the National Nursing Times Award in Cancer Care for the implementation of a telephone assessment clinic for breast pain. Katy’s current role is 50% clinical and 50% research and she is currently working towards her PhD.

Katy is passionate about her role as a nurse and the value that nursing brings to a patients experience.

South East Central Regional Representative

Clare is the Macmillan Lead Breast Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and has worked as a nurse for over 25 years and as a CNS since 2010. For the past 13 year, she has specialised in breast cancer. Her professional interests include enhancing patient experience, service improvement, and the development of the CNS workforce, with particular emphasis on succession planning.

Education & Training Representative

Kayleigh Davies-Crowley is a Breast Advanced Nurse Practitioner based in Liverpool and has previously held positions as a Breast Clinical Nurse Specialist, Genome project nurse and Clinical Research nurse.

James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust

ABS President

Ms Downey qualified from Nottingham University in the last century and she undertook SHO training in Bristol, Research in Breast Cancer Oncology in Manchester and Registrar training in Yorkshire. Her first consultant post in Bradford for 4 years and moved to East Anglia in 2005. Sarah's first involvement in RCS was examiner for MRCS at time OSCE introduced. Acted on committee and then Chair of Court of Examiners for RCS England. Part of training committee since came to East Anglia in 2005. Undertook Divisional Director role in own hospital for 5 years – opened new daycase unit. Acted as regional Breast Screening QA Surgeon for 6 years. Joined SAC in 2015 and became regional TPD in 2018. Currently Chair of General Surgery SAC.  Undergraduate PBL tutor and online tutor for oncoplastic MS. Director of Screening for own Trust and also Clinical Appraisal Lead. Former TIG Chair and faculty on Advanced Breast Cancer Course. Currently President of ABS.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trus

Education & Training Representative

Jo Fields works as a consultant nurse in breast services for Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She has over 20 years’ experience working within breast teams as a CNS and ACP. Her areas of interest include managing the long term consequences of breast cancer treatment, and the effective use of skill mix. She holds a Doctorate in Clinical Practice from the University of Southampton. Her research focused on the non-pharmacological  management of arthralgia associated with aromatase inhibitors.

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

International Committee Representative

Dr Victoria Harmer qualified with an award for distinction in practice and is Consultant Nurse and lead nurse for the breast screening and symptomatic services at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. She acts as Key Worker to people with breast cancer, and has published widely, as well as editing the book ‘Breast Cancer Nursing Care and Management’. She has acted as medical adviser for radio, television and film and involved in many research trial e.g. OPTIMA. She has received Nursing Times Cancer Nursing award and was a finalist for the Public Health category in 2022. She has worked with Marks and Spencer designing swimwear for the post mastectomy body, is Trustee for Against Breast Cancer charity, on the Medical Advisory Board for CoppaFeel!, deputy Chair for Europa Donna UK and a member of the ABS International Forum. Dr Harmer has a degree in nursing from Kings College, an MBA from Westminster Business School, a doctorate from Kings and is an Associateship of Kings College.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

A&R Committee Rep

Dr Sue Hartup is a Clinical Academic Consultant Nurse in Breast Research within the Breast Unit and Research & Innovation departments of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the Patient Centred Outcomes Research Group at the University of Leeds. She is an active member of the Association of Breast Surgery Academic & Research committee and the Nursing committee, the EORTC QoL group and the UK Breast Cancer Clinical Studies Group.

Sue has published on many subjects and is a member of various trial management groups and trial steering committees. She was an NIHR Doctoral Fellow and is a current NIHR Senior Clinical and Practitioner Award Fellow. She specialises in developing research studies covering post-surgical pain, self-management interventions, survivorship, quality of life and patient outcomes. She is the research nurse lead for West Yorkshire & Harrogate Cancer Alliance and is a CancerSMART champion, teaching and educating about cancer in the community and Trustee of the Yorkshire Cancer Community. Recently awarded an RfPB grant to continue Her current work in digital interventions for supporting breast cancer post-surgery care is supported by an NIHR RfPB grant, and is Chief Investigator on 2 other current breast surgical studies.

South West Regional Representative

Claire is an Advanced Clinical Practitioner and Team Lead within the Breast Care Team in North Devon, with over 26 years of experience in women's health. Claire began her career working on a gynaecology and breast ward before joining the breast care team 14 years ago, progressing from Breast Support Nurse to Advanced Clinical Practitioner and Team Lead.

Alongside her clinical role, Claire is a UKONS Champion, Clinical Advisor for MySunrise, Chair of the Peninsula Breast Clinical Nurse Specialist Meetings, Shared Chair of the Breast Site-Specific Group (SSG), and Regional Chair of the South West Regional Late Effects Service (SWRLES). She is also qualified to deliver CBT-based workshops to support patients experiencing the long-term effects of cancer treatment.

Claire is passionate about representing the nursing voice within breast care, promoting collaboration across the region, sharing best practice, and supporting the development of the multidisciplinary workforce. As an ABS Regional Representative, she is committed to improving outcomes for patients and strengthening the breast care community across the South West.

East Midlands Regional Representative

Mrs Yvette Martin has enjoyed over 20 years working within the Breast speciality starting off as a staff nurse on elective surgery looking after breast cancer patients post operatively and then moving into the Breast CNS role at various breast units across the UK, slowly moving north from London and currently working as part of a busy breast unit at Lincoln County Hospital.  

Yvette is passionate about ensuring patients receive the best, most up to date and evidence-based care as well as feeling supported and heard throughout their treatment and follow up journey. She is delighted to have taken up the role of Regional Nurse Representative for ABS for the East Midlands this year and looks forward to networking with other professionals in our field and promoting change for the better within our nursing teams and speciality. Outside of work, Yvette is a busy mum to three kids, alongside two sausage dogs, cat and husband. She loves Yoga and is currently taking up the challenge to read 24 books throughout 2026!

Northern Ireland Regional Representative

Siobhan is a Breast Care Nurse Specialist at Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.  

Siobhan took up the post of ABS regional nurse representative for Northern Ireland in April 2022. Siobhan has over twenty years experience working as a registered nurse. Before moving into the breast care speciality she worked in various units including general surgery, breast surgery, vascular, orthopaedic and day procedure unit.

Siobhan completed the breast care course in the Christie Hospital in 2008 and joined the breast team in the Belfast City Hospital in 2009. In her role as a breast care nurse Siobhan is committed to health promotion and patient empowerment. She helped set-up, co-ordinate and organise the Breast Health and Wellbeing Events for the Belfast Trust. She displayed a poster at Glasgow ABS Conference focusing on the benefits the Health and Wellbeing Events.

Siobhan has good experience of collaborative working and developing integrated approaches to delivering patient centred, high quality services.

Furness General Hospital

North West Regional Representative

International Committee Representative

Monica Reeves commenced her career within nursing in 1990, gaining valuable experience in many varied fields, including A&E & theatre.

In 1999 she was fortunate to work in Tanzania, with Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), as a Clinical Instructor gaining an insight into heath care within a low-income country.

In 2016 she trained as an Enhanced Surgical First Assistant with Edge Hill University.

She successfully studied for a master’s degree at Edgehill University, Liverpool, in 2017 and Principles of Breast Cancer Care in 2021 at The Royal Marsden, Manchester. 

She is currently employed as a Surgical Care Practitioner within the breast team at Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

She works independently within triple assessment and review clinics. Her role also includes assisting in theatres as well as supporting the training and mentoring of Junior Doctors. 

Yorkshire & Humberside Regional Representative

Sunderland/South Tyneside Foundation Trust

Northern Regional Representative

Since 2006, Caroline has served as a Breast Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) and is currently a committee member at NICE, along with being the Northern Nurse Representative for the ABS. Caroline previously worked as the Lead Lifestyle Advisor for The North of England Activity after Breast Cancer Trial, bringing her expertise to enhance post-treatment well-being. As a qualified Personal Trainer/ Exercise Referrer/ Cancer Rehabilitation Practitioner, she has a specialist interest in cancer recovery, and currently run Virtual Clinics supporting Cancer Prehab/Rehab. Caroline is currently on a two-year secondment as the Macmillan Lead Practitioner for Living with Cancer in Sunderland/South Tyneside, with the primary objective of making a positive impact on those facing the challenges of living with cancer.

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust

ABS Trustee

Dr Raghavan Vidya is a Senior lecturer at Birmingham University and Consultant Oncoplastic breast surgeon at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. She graduated from University of Madras, India followed by Postgraduate training in General Surgery. She completed her MD (Research) on aromatase inhibitors from University of Edinburgh. She has introduced and mentored new innovations including muscle-sparing implant-based breast reconstruction.  

She serves as a Trustee of the Association of Breast surgery and actively contributes to its working. Dedicated to teaching and training, she contributes actively as a Higher Surgical Trainer, delivers lectures, and runs workshops as invited faculty for national and international meetings. Through her role as Royal College, International Surgical Training Programme Lead for Breast Surgery, she is committed to advancing breast training. She has a strong focus towards clinical research exemplified by over 150 publications. She has published two books on breast reconstruction and an ebook on Global Breast Training in collaboration with RCS and ABS. She promotes clinical application of Genomics in NHS as Associate Director of Genomics in West Midlands.  She is actively involved in clinical trials and have a special interest in new technology and advances in breast surgery.

Eastern Regional Representative

West Midlands Regional Representative

University of Sheffield

ABS Vice President

Lynda Wyld underwent surgical training in the UK, spending time in Sheffield, Nottingham and Manchester. She did her PhD at the University of Sheffield. She was appointed to an academic post at the University of Sheffield in 2002 and is now Professor of Surgical Oncology. Her clinical interest is the management of breast cancer in older women and she practices as a Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon at Doncaster Teaching Hospitals in the UK. Her main research interest is in age related inequalities in cancer surgery where she has led projects to improve outcomes and develop decision aids for older women with breast cancer. Her other career focus has been to develop training in breast cancer surgery and in particular to see the development of breast surgery as a specialty in its own right. She is a Trustee of the ABS and is the current secretary and President Elect of European Breast Exam Board.