Nottingham Children’s Hospital Paediatric Neuro-Oncology Centre awarded ‘Excellence’ status
Nottingham Children’s Hospital (NCH) has been named a ‘Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence’ by The Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM).
NCH is one of six Paediatric Neuro-Oncology centres given the title, having met the high Standards of Excellence across its patient pathway.
Today TJBCM has proudly announced a new network of 15 brain tumour centres for children, of which six have been designated as excellent. The brand-new initiative has been launched by TJBCM in a national effort to further elevate the treatment, care and research for children with brain tumours.
NCH was named a ‘Centre of Excellence’ after a thorough, expert-led review of services, in which it met the top standards in all aspects of treatment, care and research.
Particular areas of Excellence included the rehabilitation provision, a well-integrated play therapy service and comprehensive community support.
Dr Keith Girling, Medical Director at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS trust said: “It is an honour to be recognised as a Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence for Children. We are extremely proud of our patient-centred approach and high standard of care at Nottingham Children’s Hospital.
“The recognition reflects the hard work and commitment of our staff. Our highly skilled and dedicated team works extremely hard to deliver the best possible care for brain tumour patients across the East Midlands each year.
“Being a designated Centre of Excellence is a fantastic opportunity to share expertise and learn from other centres, further improving the standard of care and experience for children with brain cancer and their families.”
Areas assessed include clinical care, quality of life care and access to clinical trials. Special attention was also paid to play therapy and education provision, key elements of children’s cancer care.
Dr Stephen Lowis, who led the review process, said “We found remarkable examples of exceptional and compassionate care. This initiative will support all centres across the UK to develop their services, through national collaboration and sharing of examples of excellence.”
The nationwide review process further provides an in-depth understanding of children’s brain tumour care and research. Funded and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and partner charities, TJBCM will use these findings to launch new programmes aimed at further elevating services across the country.
Richard Gilbertson, Chair of the TJBCM and Paediatric Oncology Clinician Scientist, said “This initiative has received an overwhelming and enthusiastic response from the paediatric neuro-oncology community. Together, we are working to ensure all children with a brain tumour receive the very best care, wherever they live.”
Jess Mills, Tessa Jowell’s daughter and TJBCM co-founder, proudly said “Mum’s legacy to transform outcomes for brain cancer patients across the UK has reached another huge milestone. It has been so moving to witness how committed the teams caring for children in hospitals are to come on this journey with us.”
Dr Nicky Huskens, CEO of the TJBCM, said “The outcome of this rigorous process has been re-assuring. Every centre that participated provides good care, with six providing exceptional care. Going forward we will be working with our partners in the charity, public and corporate sectors to provide bespoke centre support and launch new meaningful national initiatives to improve brain tumour treatment and care.”
Louise Shepherd CBE, Chair NHS England’s National Children and Young People’s Board, said: “It is fantastic to see NHS hospitals across England being recognised as centres of excellence. These awards are a fitting tribute to Tessa Jowell and her dedication to excellence in cancer care, as well as to the NHS staff who work tirelessly to provide the best treatment and support to the children and their families. The NHS is committed to diagnosing and treating cancers as early as possible to give people the best chance of beating the disease, and I encourage anyone who is experiencing any worrying symptoms to contact their GP immediately – getting checked can help save lives.”