Cancer team there for our kids
Children who have beaten cancer are encouraged to ring a bell after the completion of what can have been several years of hospital treatment.
“It’s a big deal for all of us,” says senior oncology staff nurse Tenneh Koroma whose service was one of the few to keep running at full capacity during the worst months of the pandemic.
The paediatric oncology team, which comprises of two consultants and two nurses, has around 50 children on their caseload needing acute care.
There are many types of cancers but the commonest found among children include leukemias, lymphomas, bone and brain tumours.
Children will often be seen first by their GP or in A&E, before referrel to one of two designated treatment centres - Great Ormond Street and University College London - to confirm whether or not they have cancer.
The centres will start treatment, and then refer the children back to Northwick Park’s paediatric oncology team to continue and share the care needed throughout their period of treatment.
The two-bed unit accommodates a steady stream of young patients coming in for blood transfusions and chemotherapy and the team work closely with community nurses to ensure families receive the right support at home.
Miriam Sager, Clinical Nurse Specialist for Oncology, added: “Hospital can be a scary environment for a child so we do our best to put them at ease and make them feel welcome. It’s a serious business but we do our fair share of playing about to make them feel at home.
“A cancer diagnosis often comes out of the blue and a family’s world is turned upside by the news overnight.
“We support them on their journey and it is a great feeling when a child is given the all clear and the bell signals the end of their treatment.”