We are delighted to hear that Kingston Hospital is set to launch an enhanced paediatric oncology service, a move that will allow young patients to receive more of their treatment closer to home. The new service model will see children able to undergo more of their chemotherapy at the Kingston Paediatric Oncology Shared Care Unit (POSCU), reducing the need for travel to primary treatment centres.
The enhanced service will be delivered from the Andrew Winrow Oncology Unit, which opened in January 2024, and was supported by Kusuma Trust.
Without the new oncology unit, delivering infusional chemotherapy within existing facilities would have been significantly more challenging. NHS England has expressed confidence in Kingston Hospital’s ability to roll out this enhanced model swiftly. Kingston Hospital has also been asked to bid to become a pilot site for training staff in the rest of the Paediatric Oncology South London Network in the administration of infusional chemotherapy, a step that could pave the way for similar improvements in other Paediatric Oncology Shared Care Units across the UK.
We wish the paediatric oncology team the very best in their efforts to ensure young patients receive vital treatment in a comfortable and accessible environment.