Cancer treatment for young people is inadequate

Young cancer patients are not receiving adequate treatment on the NHS because of a shortage of both beds and staff, a charity has claimed.

According to leading children's cancer charity Clic Sargent, ten young people are diagnosed with cancer every day, but not all of them are guaranteed adequate care.

The charity's director of services, Geoff Thaxter, commented: "Young people specifically are failing to get the care they need because of a shortage of specialist beds and dedicated care staff, with only 30 per cent of young people receiving age-appropriate care when undergoing treatment for cancer."

In order to find out young people's views about healthcare, the charity held a youth forum in July last year, at which 57 young people shared their experiences and views on the support and care they had received.

"Following this we were able to introduce our Young People's Charter, which pledges to offer young people a range of support specifically designed for their age group and to treat each young person as an individual in their own right," Mr Thaxter revealed.

He also insisted that more young people need to be included in cancer treatment studies, many of which currently focus on adults.

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