Teens to get dedicated cancer centres
Tristan Donovan
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The government has ordered a major overhaul of NHS services for teenagers and young adults with cancer.
The Department of Health has ordered health chiefs across England to submit proposals explaining how they will provide specialist age-appropriate care to these young people by the end of this month. The request is underpinned by new guidance setting out what health services must provide.
The move should result in the introduction of dedicated principal treatment centres throughout England by 2012.
Simon Davies, chief executive of the Teenage Cancer Trust, hailed the government's plans as a breakthrough. "It's a seminal document that is going to be really important in the development of specialist age-appropriate care for young people with cancer," he said.
The guidance, Improving Outcomes in Children and Young People with Cancer, tells health trusts that under-19s with cancer must be referred to a specialist principal treatment centre for young people. The centres will be staffed by a team made up of child cancer specialists who work with adult cancer specialists to provide treatment to young people.
The guidance also says 19- to 24-year-old cancer sufferers should be given the option of being treated at a centre for young people rather than being automatically being treated as an adult. It also says they should have access to specialist psychosocial support available in the centres designed for young people.
Although many areas across England currently lack specialist principal treatment centres for young people, the department has ordered health trusts to set out how they will develop these centres. Davies told CYP Now at least another 20 would be needed across England to meet the government requirements.
The Teenage Cancer Trust is already building this type of unit using money it has raised. Davies said the trust's units include more facilities - such as areas for socialising - than NHS-built units would do, and once built by the charity, the NHS would run and staff the buildings.
Davies added the government's move would ensure young people get age-appropriate treatment. "It's a big change for teenage cancer services and should see an improvement in survival rates due to a higher degree of specialist treatment," he said.
- www.cypnow.co.uk/doc.
