Children’s Cancer
The Thames Valley & Wessex Children’s Cancer Operational Delivery Network (ODN) was established in 2021 to work with patients, families, health and social care professionals to achieve the improvement aims of NHS England, reduce inequalities and supporting standardisation of care.
The driver for these improvements is embedded through service specifications (published November 2021) which cover the requirements for both the Principal Treatment Centre (PTC) and for the Paediatric Oncology Shared Care Units (POSCUs). These service specifications were written to support contractual implementation of the recommendations set out by the Cancer Taskforce and the NHS Long Term Plan. Including the following objectives:
- Improve integration between different children’s cancer services
- Improve the experience of care for children and young people living with cancer diagnosis
- Increase participation in clinical trials, which is currently at around two thirds of patients
- Increase tumour banking rates
- Improve the transition between children’s and TYA services, in particular ensuring that there is no age gap between different services
- Embed genomic medicine within children’s cancer services
In collaboration with commissioners and PTC/POSCU colleagues, the Children’s Cancer ODN core work has been to ensure the delivery of these service specifications through trust specific benchmarking, action plans and follow up.
Further details on the role of Children’s Cancer Networks can be found within Children’s cancer services: Principal treatment centres service specification | NHS England.
