Elspeth Brewis describes the background to the first paediatric oncology outreach nursing service established in Glasgow in 1978

During the 1960s, outreach nursing services for children with general medical or surgical problems began to spread in the UK, supporting the aim of early discharge from hospital. I believe that the paediatric oncology outreach nursing service established in Glasgow in 1978 was the first. Over 35 years, I have been privileged to work in this service and through exciting times in the development of treatment and services for children with leukaemia and other cancers. This article is a personal account of the service’s history, including some of the lessons learnt and insights into looking after oneself in this challenging field. In order to describe the development of the paediatric oncology outreach nursing service in Glasgow, it is relevant to give a flavour of the clinical environment out of which the service grew.