Organisations such as the Teenage Cancer Trust have long worked with young people to provide the medical services they need, while also helping encourage them to share in the task of keeping themselves healthy.

 

 

New Teenage Cancer Trust to open in London

Actually, it’s a big year for the charity, as it’s due to open the second of its Teenage Cancer Trust Units in London this summer. Situated on the third floor of a new state-of-the-art cancer centre at University College London Hospital (UCLH), it will offer a team of teenage cancer specialists and eight out-patient treatment pods for patients aged 13-24.

But it’s also been designed specifically for teenage and young adults to help reduce their anxiety and the side-effects they have to endure and includes a family area, cafe, education zone, DJ booth and gaming space.

The charity was set up for this very purpose: to fund specialist units for adolescents in order to create a unique environment where they could receive the best possible care and support, tailored to their needs.  Before its first unit opened in London in 1990, young people were either treated alongside children or put on an adult ward, usually made up of elderly patients, which had an adverse affect on their state of mind, and the prognosis of their condition.

By bringing teenagers with cancer together so they could support each other, and providing relevant activities as well as specialist staff, the two units have helped to improve the quality of life for London’s teenage cancer patients.

 

London GPs are working to support teenagers with cancer  

This tailored approach to teenage healthcare is on the agenda of London GPs too, as it’s increasingly recognised that adolescents have specific needs compared to adults or children. 

According to Dr Stephanie Lamb, a GP in South London with a specialism in treating adolescents, young people’s main concerns are: 1) confidentiality; 2) having to wait for an appointment and 3) finding someone they can easily talk to about delicate matters.

Says Dr Lamb, “As teenagers grow up, and begin to have greater awareness of their own health, they might not want their parents to know about their sexual or mental health issues, or worries over puberty. So the last thing they need is to find themselves sitting beside their next-door-neighbour in the waiting room, or discussing a sensitive issue with the surgery receptionist, who in smaller communities may know their parents.

“And they like immediate access to a health professional, so they can find it hard in a traditional surgery, where you might need to book an appointment up to a week ahead.” 

Even when they go to their GP, young people can sometimes find it difficult to establish a rapport with their doctor, who might not be able to respond appropriately to a teenager that is shy or sullen, or who doesn’t have the words to explain what’s wrong.  And of course, that makes it harder for the GP to get the information they need to make a correct diagnosis.

 

 

A few years ago, Dr Lamb set up a weekly drop-in surgery which proved so successful that she went on to co-found the Well Centre in Streatham, a one-stop-shop partly funded by the NHS London Innovation Fund, that provides access to GPs and a practice nurse and offers counseling and healthcare services.

As the health centre is attached to an already established youth centre, it’s easier for the doctors to follow up health concerns raised by a young person that might otherwise go untreated, and it means they can talk to their young patients via Facebook and text messaging.

It’s hoped that the Well Centre will be the first of a wider network of young people's health hubs that take a holistic approach to the needs of adolescents, and there is a similar initiative in East London, at the NHS-backed CHYPS centre, which is available for all 11-19 year olds in Hackney.

But in the meantime, GPs are learning how to better understand their younger patients, especially when it comes to health concerns like cancer. 

 

Awareness Week for GPs

The Teenage Cancer Trust, for example, will be running an Awareness Week for GPs in May this year to help them spot the signs and symptoms of the disease, because it’s so unusual – 130 young people were diagnosed with cancer in London in 2009 [1] – which  means a GP might only see two or three cases in his/her whole career.  And frequently the symptoms can look like something else, which means that sometimes cancer in teens can initially be misdiagnosed.

But it’s not just down to the GP to spot when something’s wrong: as for all patients, the advice for young people is to take responsibility for their health.

Says Dr Lamb, “Doctors generally ask people to come back if their symptoms haven’t settled, and if we say that, we mean it – in fact we rely on you coming back so we can make further investigations if necessary.  But if you feel you’ve not been listened to or your concerns have not been addressed, don’t be shy to make yourself heard.” 

Young patients registered at a practice where there’s more than one GP for example, can ask to see another doctor who they think they’ll be more comfortable talking with, perhaps a woman or someone younger who they might feel more able to relate to. 

And for parents worried about their children’s health, it’s as much about letting go and supporting and empowering them to manage their own health, as it is about helping their reluctant adolescent visit the doctor in the first place. 

Adds Dr Lamb, “Doctors and parents need to help adolescents understand the difference between health issues they can self-manage – through eating well, doing enough exercise, and taking care of their emotional well being – and those they can’t handle on their own.  Then it’s about making it easy for young people to get help, and to say it’s OK to make a fuss, if they’re not feeling right.”

 

Further information can be found at:

Teenage Cancer Trust

University College London Hospital

The Well Centre, Streatham

CHYPS, Hackney

 

---