Teenager and Young Adults Cancer Services

Overview

NHS England has launched a 60-day consultation to seek views on proposed changes to teenager and young adult's cancer services. These are used by teenagers and young people aged between 16 up to the day before their 25th birthday. In some cases, and with the agreement of Children's Cancer Services, they may also treat teenagers from the age of 13.

The aim of the service specifications is to improve the outcomes and experience of teenagers and young adults with cancer. 

This consultation guide sets out:

• How care is currently provided.
• The proposed changes and reasons for these.
• How the proposed changes will be implemented.

The consultation will run from Wednesday 5 June until Sunday 4 August 2019. We recommend that you read the consultation guide alongside the other supporting documents published as part of the consultation.

Professor Sir Mike Richards has now been asked to assess the consultation responses and advise on the best way forward.

His comprehensive and independent review will include:

• Meeting with the members of the clinical reference group to hear their views, including of the consultation responses
• Reviewing available evidence
• Visits to a number of services across England
• Hearing directly from patients and families, stakeholders, clinicians, and professional bodies

Professor Richards has undertaken to present his findings and recommendations about the best way forward to the public board meeting of NHS England and NHS Improvement in early 2020.

We have organised a series of webinars for young people, their families and a range of professionals which can be booked by clicking the links in the dates below. This will give us the opportunity to talk through the plans so that people can ask questions before they respond to the consultation. These are free to join, and to take part you will need access to a computer / laptop and a phone – unfortunately iPads and other most other tablets do not work for webinars. Full instructions will be sent to everyone who has registered, so it’s not a problem If you’ve never joined a webinar before.

If you have any particular questions or issues you’d like us to cover, you can also send these in advance to england.npoc-cancer@nhs.net.

• Wednesday 3 July 2019, 16:00 - 17:00 | Teenager and Young Adults 
  • Intended audience: Clinicians/Professional Organisations/Charities/Cancer Alliances/Providers
• Thursday 4 July 2019, 14:45 - 15:45 | Children's
  • Intended audience: Clinicians/Professional Organisations/Charities/Cancer Alliances/Providers
• Thursday 4 July 2019, 16:00 - 17:00 | Teenager and Young Adults 
  • Intended audience: Patients
• Thursday 4 July 2019, 17:15 - 18:15 | Children’s/Teenager and Young Adults 
  • Intended audience: Parents/Guardians
• Wednesday 17 July 2019, 09:30 - 10:30 | Children's
  • Intended audience: Clinicians/Professional Organisations/Charities/Cancer Alliances/Providers
• Thursday 18 July 2019, 19.00 - 20.00 | Children’s/Teenager and Young Adults 
  • Parents/Guardians
• Wednesday 31 July 2019, 09:30 - 10:30 | Teenager and Young Adults 
  • Intended audience: Clinicians/Professional Organisations/Charities/Cancer Alliances/Providers

Hear more about the consultation in this blog from the Chair of the CRG, Consultant Haematologist, Rachael Hough. Rachael outlines why she hopes the changes that are planned will support the ambitions set out for cancer services for children, teenagers and young adults in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Supporting Documents

• Consultation Guide
• Service Specification: Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Networks - Designated Hospitals
• Service Specification: Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Networks - Principal Treatment Centres
• Engagement Report
• Impact Assessment