Blueprint of Care

Blueprint of Care Parliamentary launch

Nigel Evans MP with some of our young people

Teenage Cancer Trust and TYAC (Teenagers and Young Adults with Cancer) have joined forces to publish the very first Blueprint of Care for health professionals who care for teenagers and young adults with cancer. This vital guidance sets out that an age appropriate approach to care which is individually tailored to meet their unique physical and psychosocial needs must be fulfilled.

Officially launched at the House of Commons by the Minister of State for Care Services, Paul Burstow MP, this long awaited publication brings together for the first time the expertise and knowledge of healthcare professionals who have been leading in Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) cancer care for the past 20 years in the UK from within the NHS and independent sectors.

Published and funded by Teenage Cancer Trust and TYAC, who are the only UK membership organisation of professionals involved in the care of young people with cancer, the Blueprint of Care for Teenagers and Young Adults with Cancer provides practical advice, guidance and tips for anyone working with young cancer patients aged 16-24 and captures the “essence” of age appropriate care.

The Blueprint of Care was created in response to the growing recognition both in the UK and overseas, that teenagers and young adults with cancer have specialist needs that differ to those of children and older adults. A cancer diagnosis in this age group impacts on a young person’s physical and psychosocial development and affects numerous aspects of their life including body image, relationships, friendships, fertility, education and vocational plans. The complexity of providing care to this age group is compounded further as they fall into ‘the gap’ between paediatric and adult services.

Sam Smith, Blueprint of Care author and Head of Nursing and Quality for Teenage Cancer Trust, comments: “This is the first important step in capturing best practice in teenage and young adult cancer care. This guidance will help professionals shape the environment and their philosophy of care, which in turn will help foster good practice amongst individuals and services.”

“We must recognise that this is a newly emerging speciality in terms of services, but we need to harness and share the expertise that has already been developed over the past twenty years in order to educate and help others who are starting to develop their services. More research into teenage and young adult cancer is vital and we must continue to push for better education for healthcare professionals.”

Minister of State for Care Services, Paul Burstow MP, comments: “Teenagers and young adults with cancer deserve the best care the NHS can offer. The Blueprint of Care report complements the NICE guidance and provides valuable new insight for clinicians and commissioners on the delivery of age appropriate care. I congratulate Teenage Cancer Trust and TYAC on their hard work in delivering this report and encourage clinicians and commissioners to consider its recommendations.”

Blueprint-of-care.pdf (1.66 mb)