The Development of a National Paediatric Psycho-Oncology Service

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Oncology
• Psycho-oncology
• Healthcare Services Research

Background:

• The National Children's Cancer Service (NCCS) in Ireland aims to provide comprehensive care.
• International standards emphasize the importance of psychological support for pediatric cancer patients and families.
• Assessing current psychological service provision against these standards is crucial for identifying gaps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychological care provided to children and adolescents with cancer and their families at the NCCS.
• To compare the NCCS's psychological services against national and international standards of care.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective audit of 316 referrals to the psychology service within malignant haematology and oncology at the NCCS.
• Data collected over a 32-month period (January 2013 to August 2016).

Main Results:

• An average of 189 (50%) urgently referred patients received psychological support annually.
• Only 22% of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and 22% referred to palliative care received psychological input.
• 62% of teenage patients received psychological input during the audit period.

Conclusions:

• The current psychology service provision at the NCCS falls short of international standards of care.
• Secured funding for a principal psychologist post based on audit data and risk assessment.
• Further posts (HSCT, late-effects, neuropsychology) and model of care development are needed for equitable, evidence-based psychological care.