A paediatric bone marrow transplant service has been launched at a new Children’s Hospital in Cambridge - aimed at reducing the journeys faced by patients and their families.
The service, officially launched on Monday, is the first in the region to offer treatment, which can require a hospital stay of six to eight weeks or more. Previously, patients may have needed to travel to Bristol, London, or even further away.
The first patient to be treated was 15-year-old Will Grocott from Baldock, Herts, who has acute myeloid leukaemia.
Twenty staff members, including doctors, nurses, clinical nurse specialists, dieticians, pharmacists, and psychologists will run the service based at the Cambridge Children’s Hospital, which will cost about £1.5m per year.
Associate director of operations at Cambridge University Hospitals, Amanda Cahn, said: “We are thrilled to receive funding for this service, which will be of major value to young patients and their families from all over the East of England and further afield.
“It is the first unit of its kind in many years to be established in the UK and we are very grateful to NHS England for funding which relieves much of the heartache associated with travelling to other regional centres.“
Commenting on the launch, Consultant Paediatric Haematologist Dr Emmy Dickens said: “It is wonderful to now have the opportunity to make use of the existing skills and experience within the Trust, with additional NHS England funding to bring in new staff to look after our own patients closer to home.”
Source: Cambridge University Hospitals
https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/news/region-gets-first-bone-marrow-transplant-service-for-young/
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