Children’s cancers

What we do

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has a paediatric oncology shared care unit (POSCU) which provides local supportive care for children with a diagnosis of cancer. We share the care with a principal treatment centre (PTC) who are responsible for coordinating the child’s treatment. The PTCs we work with are:

• Great Ormond Street Hospital
• University College London Hospital  
• The Royal Marsden Hospital

Our emphasis is on providing holistic and supportive care to children and their families and being approachable and accessible to reduce the impact of the diagnosis on the family as much as possible. This includes:

• 24/7 advice and open access to the wards when a child is unwell or requires assessment
• A contact email address that is checked regularly during normal working hours
• Outpatient chemotherapy clinic in our paediatric ambulatory care centre (PACC)
• Supportive medical care throughout treatment, including:
  • Blood product transfusions
  • Symptom management
  • Ad hoc reviews
• A close working relationship with PTCs and a multidisciplinary approach
• Macmillan oncology nurse specialists on hand to support children and their families and to help ensure access to the relevant services
• Follow-up care in outpatients once the child has finished treatment

Our team is well supported by general paediatric consultants, junior medical staff, nursing staff in the PACC and on Neptune Ward, and the clinical psychology team.

Our team

• Dr Jo Maynard, Paediatric Consultant and POSCU Lead
• Dr Teriola Naiyeju, Paediatric Consultant 
• Alice Hearne, Macmillan Paediatric Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Kathryn Ieronymides, Macmillan Paediatric Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist

Contact

E: caw-tr.chelwestPOSCU@nhs.net
T: 020 3315 2815 (oncology clinical nurse specialist)—Mon–Fri 8:30am–4:30pm
T: 07467 111 961 (Paediatric Senior Nurse)—out of hours