23 May 2018
The following information is from our partners at Teenage Cancer Trust
Teenage Cancer Trust, the charity dedicated to ensuring no young person faces cancer alone, in partnership with The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), has funded a new Teenage and Young Adult clinical specialist nurse to support young people with cancer aged 13 to 24, who live across the Shropshire region.
Becky Salisbury has been appointed to the specialist post and will be working across both the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, as well as linking in with the Teenage and Young Adult team at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, the principal treatment centre for the region.
Becky Salisbury said: “I am really excited to be appointed to the role of Teenage Cancer Trust Clinical Nurse Specialist. It is so important to have specialist care just for the teenagers and young adults at a local level. They are at a difficult time in their lives when they’re just finding out who they are, becoming independent and juggling so many choices around school, college, work, relationships etc. And then cancer is thrown in the mix. I work to support the patients, but also their families and loved ones, because they find it hard to deal with too.”
Every year approximately 220 young people are diagnosed with cancer in the West Midlands region. The specialist nursing post is the first for the West Midlands region and will offer specialist care to wherever young people with cancer are being treated, whether that’s in their local hospitals, at home or elsewhere.
Jessica Greenwood, Lead Cancer Nurse at SaTH, said: “This role has been an aspiration of SaTH’s for many years and to finally have Becky in the post is a fantastic asset to our service, and will greatly benefit the young patients that we serve.”
Teenage Cancer Trust Specialist Nurses work alongside existing cancer services to champion the age appropriate care of young people, educating and supporting other health care professionals to provide the best possible age appropriate care. They offer one to one support for young people and their families wherever the young person is treated and work with the patient’s local clinical team to identify and address specific age appropriate needs. They understand the challenges young people with cancer face and specialise in individual support from the point of diagnosis throughout treatment.
Grace Higgins, Regional Fundraising Manager for Teenage Cancer Trust, said: “We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has raised money to make it possible for us to fund this new Teenage Cancer Trust nursing post. It’s thanks to the passion and dedication of our amazing supporters that make all of Teenage Cancer Trust’s vital work possible – we couldn’t do it without you. Thank you.”
Teenage Cancer Trust already funds 3 specialist units in the West Midlands, at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham and the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham. The units offer local young cancer patients access to the best possible care, support and access to treatments. The charity also already funds 10 full- and part-time specialist expert nursing staff and youth support coordinators within these units.
As part of the new Nursing & Support Service, Teenage Cancer Trust is working with an additional 7 NHS Hospital Trusts across the Midlands including University Hospital North Midlands NHS Trust (Royal Stoke Hospital).
As the service develops, more hospitals may also become involved. By supporting NHS teams in partnership with local hospitals, the charity hopes to ensure all young people with cancer aged 13 to 24 have access to the age-appropriate care, advice, information and one-to-one support they need.
Teenage Cancer Trust need money to continue to fund these vital specialist posts so the charity is asking local people to get involved. Grace Higgins said: “You can challenge yourself to do a sponsored walk, run or swim, or get your workplace and colleagues involved by choosing Teenage Cancer Trust as your chosen charity, or even your local school. Contact the team at: hello@teenagecancertrust.org who will be happy to help with support and fundraising ideas.”