The leaders of children’s cancer charity Candlelighters are applauding the success of a chemotherapy service, which they have funded, to provide chemotherapy to children at home rather than in hospital. Following a successful two-year pilot period of the new service at Leeds Children’s Hospital, the service is now set to continue permanently with hospital funding.
Emily Wragg (Chief Executive of Candlelighters) says:
‘We are very pleased to have funded a novel NHS role, the Candlelighters Chemotherapy Project Nurse Specialist, since 2023… Families reported numerous benefits, including a reduction in anxiety for children having treatment at home, improved school attendance because treatment is coordinated around the school day, parents being able to continue working, a reduction in travelling time and travel costs, and receiving psychological and emotional support within their home’
Emily added:
‘The project aimed to show how in-home bolus chemotherapy could become business as usual within Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. We also wanted to include any child or young person in the Yorkshire region who would meet the eligibility criteria for bolus chemotherapy at home, and generate evidence of the benefits to families and Leeds Children’s Hospital.’
Dr Susan Picton (Chemotherapy Lead for Haematology and Oncology at Leeds Children’s Hospital) explains that bolus chemotherapy is a way of delivering a single, concentrated dose of anti-cancer medication into a vein via a central line as a five-minute injection. The whole procedure takes approximately 20 minutes. This is different from an infusion, where the drug is delivered through a drip or pump, over several hours or even days.
Dr Picton added:
‘This was the first role of this kind, putting Leeds Children’s Hospital on the map as a trailblazer for this innovative service. Following a successful two years funded by Candlelighters we are delighted to be making this service part of our business as usual and available for patients in the future. It’s a fantastic example of how clinicians and charities can work together to improve care for patients, putting families first’
The in-home chemotherapy service was initially developed during the pandemic. It proved to have a huge impact on the quality and experience of care for families eligible to receive it.
In 2023, Leeds Children’s Hospital approached Candlelighters to fund a pioneering two-year pilot that would enable the continuation of an innovative in-home bolus chemotherapy service, to build evidence so it could become a standard part of the oncology service at Leeds Children’s Hospital. The service provides real choice to families of having care closer to home supporting the priorities of the NHS Long Term Plan.
Most children across Yorkshire with a cancer diagnosis are referred to Leeds Children’s Hospital. This includes North, West and East Yorkshire, the Humber, and occasionally Northeast Lincolnshire. The coverage represents one of the largest geographical areas of any specialist centre within the UK. This poses significant challenges to both service delivery and to families accessing treatment. For some families, their journey to Leeds can involve a 150-mile round trip and two hours travel time each way.
Each year of the trial, over 200 home chemotherapy visits were made to children and young people. Providing this service meant that each year, this saved families from travelling over 9,000 miles and almost 300 hours of travel time.
Emily Wragg concluded:
‘We’re thrilled that funding from Candlelighters has enabled the proof of concept for such a vital service. We hope this sets the example and inspires other Principal Treatment Centres across the UK to provide the same level of care, closer to home, that is available at Leeds Children’s Hospital’
Isla’s Story
Isla, 13, was diagnosed with Sarcoma in April 2024, aged 11. She lives in Bingley.
Isla says:
‘Before I had chemotherapy at home, I had to go into hospital three times a month. I missed so much school and got far behind, and my Mum had to miss work. However, when my in-home chemotherapy nurse Neil is here, it’s a five minute ‘push’ dose of chemo medication. We always chat and it’s just so, so, so, so much better.‘
‘Neil has made my life so much easier in so many ways. I have started going back to school, dancing, and seeing my friends. I am starting to finally feel normal for once. I get home from a full day of school and it’s so easy because Neil is there. It makes me happy. I don’t have to sit for hours at a time in a clinic where it makes me sad, think about too many things and get more and more worried.’
Dad Sean adds:
‘Being able to attend school and receive her treatment afterwards has been crucial to Isla’s education and her mental well-being. Neil has been exceptionally accommodating, coming after school hours and allowing Isla to avoid spending long, exhausting periods in hospital settings – something she has already endured, far more than any child should.
Neil has brought hope to our lives at a time when we felt there was none. The positive impact the in-home chemotherapy service has had on our family cannot be overstated’