First teenage cancer specialist nurse for Shropshire

Teenage Cancer Trust in partnership with The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust has funded the nurse to support those aged 13 to 24.

Becky Salisbury has been appointed to the specialist post and will be working across both the Princess Royal Hospital Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, as well as linking in with the Teenage and Young Adult team at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, the principal treatment centre for the region.

Becky Salisbury said: “I am really excited to be appointed to the role of Teenage Cancer Trust Clinical Nurse Specialist. It is so important to have specialist care just for the teenagers and young adults at a local level. They are at a difficult time in their lives when they’re just finding out who they are, becoming independent and juggling so many choices around school, college, work, relationships etc. And then cancer is thrown in the mix. I work to support the patients, but also their families and loved ones, because they find it hard to deal with too.”

Every year approximately 220 young people are diagnosed with cancer in the West Midlands region. The specialist nursing post is the first for the West Midlands region and will offer specialist care to wherever young people with cancer are being treated, whether that’s in their local hospitals, at home or elsewhere.

Jessica Greenwood, Lead Cancer Nurse at SaTH, said: “This role has been an aspiration of SaTH’s for many years and to finally have Becky in the post is a fantastic asset to our service, and will greatly benefit the young patients that we serve.”

Teenage Cancer Trust Specialist Nurses work alongside existing cancer services to champion the age appropriate care of young people, educating and supporting other health care professionals to provide the best possible age appropriate care. They offer one to one support for young people and their families wherever the young person is treated and work with the patient’s local clinical team to identify and address specific age appropriate needs. They understand the challenges young people with cancer face and specialise in individual support from the point of diagnosis throughout treatment.

Grace Higgins, Regional Fundraising Manager for Teenage Cancer Trust, said: “We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has raised money to make it possible for us to fund this new Teenage Cancer Trust nursing post. It’s thanks to the passion and dedication of our amazing supporters that make all of Teenage Cancer Trust’s vital work possible – we couldn’t do it without you. Thank you.”