Cancer care stays close to home for young patients

Details

Published on Monday, 25 June 2012 14:26

Teenagers and young adults with cancer can continue to be treated locally, thanks to Milton Keynes Hospital being recommended as one of the few designated centres in the region.

In future, hospitals will only be able to provide cancer care to 16 to 24-year-olds (up to their 25^th birthday) if they are formally designated and meet the stringent criteria.

Young cancer patients often spend weeks at a time being cared for in hospital, so want to stay as close to their families and friends as possible. Achieving this status means that patients can be treated mainly in Milton Keynes, rather than Oxford.

Jane Naish, the hospital’s head of cancer services, said: “This is really good news for our young cancer patients and their families.

“Without this accreditation, patients would not be able to receive their care close to their homes. For many of our young patients, including our leukaemia patients who spend four weeks at a time in hospital on at least four occasions, it means a great deal to be able to stay close to their families and friends.

“So we are delighted that we will be able to offer the quality of care these patients need, right here in Milton Keynes.”

Milton Keynes Hospital was recommended for the designation by the Thames Valley Teenagers and Young Adult Cancer Network Co-ordinating Group, who also inspected the hospital’s facilities for cancer patients and spoke to teenagers and young adults with cancer.

The group’s chairman, David Harris, told the hospital: “You clearly have a committed and proactive team who have the individual patient as their priority.”

Notes to Editors

The new status makes Milton Keynes Hospital a Teenager and Young Adult (TYA) designated hospital.

John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford is the region’s Principal Treatment Centre (PTC).

A similar arrangement already exists for children’s cancer care (for children aged 15 and below).

Media contact

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