Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is the primary treatment centre (PTC) for children and young people (CYP) with cancer (0-16 years) in South Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, and North Derbyshire. Approximately 70% of patients live outside Sheffield, meaning that the trauma of a childhood cancer diagnosis is exacerbated for many families by having to travel to the PTC for treatment and supportive care, necessitating time away from local support networks.
As an Active Hospital pilot site, Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust recognise a cancer diagnosis's negative impact on short- and long-term physical activity (PA) levels. PA is important for physical and mental health throughout the cancer journey.
Sheffield Children’s Hospital have utilised innovation scheme funding to improve the accessibility of exercise and physical activity support for children and young people living with cancer.
The team employed a Band 3 Exercise and PA Therapist (EPAT) to provide community-based exercise sessions. 70% of patients live outside the Sheffield area who attend Sheffield Children’s Hospital making further access to services more costly financially and from a time point of view. Referrals for the service were received across the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw footprint and include a variety of different delivery methods which include school attendance, home and community. Work is now starting to plan and seek seed funding for an extension of the project, to also include a further patient wellbeing offer, including diet.
More feedback from Deborah Rowley and Nicole Marshall, Project Leads can be found below
The project was designed to compliment an existing offer of physical activity behaviour change interventions for children and young people that had had a cancer diagnosis. We know from research that children following a diagnosis of cancer are less physically active than age matched peers and that physical activity can have positive impacts on the effects seen following cancer and its treatment. The current offer involved either inpatient input or outpatient delivery at the hospital. We were aware that children and families from out of the local area were less likely to be able to attend these sessions. The aim was therefore to provide sessions within the child’s local community. This could be either at the child’s home, school or local leisure provider. We hoped by doing this we would reduce barriers to engagement and enable children to re-engage with physical activity locally, whether this be PE in school, with their families or with local activities, lessons or groups.
Yes. We have delivered sessions throughout the region. Increasing children’s confidence to take part in PE in schools, engaging children and young people back into local activities and groups and had a lot of positive feedback from service users.
Collecting data to support innovation is key.
Importance of delivering care closer to home to reduce barriers of engagement.
Behaviour change interventions need to be person centred and goal based.
We have applied for a development grant to develop a health behaviour change programme for all children and young people that attend SCFT following a diagnosis of cancer. Pulling together the physical activity element, nutrition advice and psychological input under one programme of care.
For more information on this project, please contact Debbi Rowley deborah.rowley2@nhs.net
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