Nurse developments in the management of neuroendocrine tumours have changed significantly over the past three years. At the Royal Free Hospital we set up the nurse specialist role due to the expansion of patients being referred to the specialist unit, and the obvious need for a nursing input into their care. The nurse specialist can make a significant contribution within the context of a multidisciplinary team especially in the production of guidelines and policies to ensure and maintain high standards of practice, education for the patient, and the provision of expertise and security that the patient requires when diagnosed with a rare disease.