Shared care

What is Shared Care?

Children and young people with cancer need to have their care planned and coordinated by a specialist centre (sometimes called a principal treatment centre) like the one here in Leeds. Not all care needs to be given in the specialist centre and some care and support can come from local hospitals, children’s community nursing teams and general practitioners.

All children and young people come to Leeds to confirm a diagnosis of cancer and to start treatment. For some children, all of their treatment will be in Leeds, but for others, part of it may be given closer to home in a shared care hospital. A shared care hospital is a local hospital that has agreed to provide ‘care closer to home’ for children and young people with cancer and their families during and following their treatment.

How shared care is coordinated

Shared care hospitals work very closely with staff in the specialist centre and are in regular contact to help deliver and coordinate the care and support needed for the child, young person and their family.

Children and young people under the care of a shared care hospital will have a named consultant paediatrician and nurse responsible for their local care. The key team members of the shared care hospitals and children’s community nursing teams always communicate regularly about patients. They meet monthly with the key worker (Children’s Haematology & Oncology Outreach CNS) from Leeds to update and share treatment plans, and to discuss the care and support children, young people and their families need.

The staff in shared care hospitals and children’s’ community nursing teams have a lot of experience in caring for children and young people with cancer and their families, and most will have completed some additional training. The specialist centre provides an educational and training programme to ensure all staff within shared care have the knowledge and skills to look after you and your child.

The services available within shared care hospitals

All shared care hospitals provide outpatient and day care services where children and young people can be seen for review, to have a blood transfusion (or other procedure) and for follow up clinics once treatment has completed. In some shared care hospitals chemotherapy is also given.

Some shared care hospitals look after children and young people as in-patients. When a child or young person is admitted to a local hospital the medical and nursing teams there are in daily contact with the specialist centre to discuss the admission and the care required.

Children’s community nursing service

All children’s community nursing teams can provide support in the home. They can carry out various aspects of care including taking blood samples, flushing central lines (Portacath or Hickman lines), giving support with feeding, and administering certain types of medication. Some teams can also give specific chemotherapy at home.

The services and support provided by children’s community nursing teams and shared care hospitals can vary from one location to another. Your key worker in Leeds will be able to explain about the services that are provided in your own local area.

Shared Care Hospitals

There are currently four shared care hospitals within the following areas; Airedale, Calderdale, Hull and Scarborough/York. Each of these also have additional support from a children’s community nursing team.

For those areas currently without a dedicated shared care hospital the local community nursing teams are available to provide support and care within the home, these are Bradford, Dewsbury, Harrogate and Wakefield.

What are the benefits of providing shared care?

In providing care that is closer to home we hope to reduce some of the disruption that children, young people and their families experience during and after cancer treatment. By cutting down on the number of journeys to Leeds we hope that both the cost of travel and the time spent away from home, family, friends and school may be lessened as much as possible.

Contact us

If you have any questions about what services are available closer to home please discuss this with your key worker or your consultant.

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust

What is a Paediatric Oncology Shared Care Unit?

The paediatric oncology shared care unit (POSCU) provides services for children who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Our team provides supportive care to these children and their families closer to home and where possible in the community. This care can include home visits, school visits, arranging admission to the local children’s ward for illness related to their cancer treatment and outpatient review.

We work closely with Leeds Principal Treatment Centre (PTC), where your child is receiving most of their cancer care and treatment. We also liaise closely with education and other agencies relevant to the care of these children.

After-treatment care is provided for children who have just finished treatment to monitor for recurrence, and also longer-term follow-up to monitor for potential complications of treatment.

Meet the team

Our team is multidisciplinary and comprises of specialist trained nurses, doctors, pharmacist and supportive allied health professionals.

Dr Gemma Williams has a special interest in oncology and works closely with the Principle Treatment Centre.

Blood results and queries 

The Children’s Outreach Team will usually take routine blood tests as requested by Leeds and will inform you, and the PTC of these results. The results are reviewed and discussed by both the PTC and your POSCU team in case any action needs to be taken (such as changes in your child’s medication or transfusions).

Your key worker or another member of the team will discuss any changes to your child’s care with you.

If you have any other queries, please do not hesitate to speak to any member of your team during office hours.

Contact us

We are based in Children’s Outpatients Department, Airedale General Hospital and you can contact us by either:

  • Leaving a message on the answerphone 01535 293720 and we will get back to you as soon as possible

Our working hours are Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays), 0900 -1700 hrs.

If your child has a temperature or is unwell, please follow the advice from Leeds Principle Treatment Centre, help and advice is available from:

Philosophy of Care

The Children’s Outreach Service recognises:

  • Each child is a unique individual with rights and their own social, emotional and spiritual needs.
  • Each child has the right to a high standard of family centred care within the home using a holistic approach to care.
  • Discharge planning from hospital will take place in partnership with the child and family ensuring the child and family feel adequately prepared, confident and knowledgeable to continue cares in their own home with the support of the community children’s nurses or other identified health professionals.
  • The need to provide integrated children’s services between hospital and the community to ensure a smooth transfer home.
  • The ultimate aim is to provide an accessible and equitable service to all children within the Airedale NHS Foundation Trust.

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust

What we do

We help to ensure optimal diagnosis and management of children and young people with febrile neutropenia presenting to POSCUs, including intravenous and oral antibiotics, and to enable timely and appropriate communication and referral of these patients between the POSCU and the PTC as required and as necessary.

We provide haematological support, ie. The administration of blood and/or platelet transfusions as required and if appropriate- this service is available on both sites.

We also provide nasogastric/ gastrostomy feeding support, (NG tubes can be re-passed on the Children’s units at Huddersfield and Calderdale), administration of sub cutaneous medication eg. GCSF, central line flushes, blood sampling and equipment provision meaning that patients will need to access the PTC less frequently.

We offer ‘off treatment’ follow up with the lead clinician at the POSCU in conjunction with the PTC where this may be appropriate.

All oncology patients will have a designated Paediatric Oncology Community Nurse as a keyworker ensuring continuation of care.

Meet the team

Contact us

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