After the success of a two-year trial funded by Candlelighters, in-home bolus chemotherapy will now be offered permanently by Leeds Children’s Hospital.
Isla, aged 13, was diagnosed with Sarcoma in April 2024 at just 11 years old. She says “Before I had my chemotherapy at home, I had to go into hospital three times a month. I missed so much school and got far behind, and my Mum had to miss work. However, when my in-home chemotherapy nurse, Neil is here, it’s a five minute ‘push’ dose of chemo medication. We always chat and it’s just so, so, so, so much better.”
Isla, like other children and young people across Yorkshire, is now able to receive her chemotherapy at home, known as ‘in-home bolus chemotherapy’. For eligible patients, this means choosing to have their chemotherapy in the comfort of their own home, rather than travelling to hospital.
“Neil has made my life so much easier in so many ways. I have started going back to school, dancing, and seeing my friends. I am starting to finally feel normal for once. I get home from a full day of school and it’s so easy because Neil is there. It makes me happy. I don’t have to sit for hours at a time in a clinic where it makes me sad, think about too many things and get more and more worried.”
For 50 years Candlelighters has been providing vital emotional, practical and financial support to families across Yorkshire affected by childhood cancer and we’re so pleased to have funded this new NHS role, the Candlelighters Chemotherapy Project Nurse Specialist, since 2023.
The in-home chemotherapy service was first developed during the pandemic and had a huge impact on the quality and experience of care for families eligible to receive it. In 2023, Leeds Children’s Hospital approached Candlelighters to fund a two-year pilot that would continue the innovative in-home bolus chemotherapy service and build evidence so that it could become a standard part of the oncology service at the hospital.
Neil
Following the huge success of the trial, the service will now be offered permanently by the hospital, providing care closer to home for children and young people with cancer across Yorkshire.
Many families felt school attendance improved as a result, as treatment could be co-ordinated around the school day, parents could continue working, and children felt less anxious receiving their treatment at home.
Providing this vital service meant that each year, it saved families from travelling over 9,000 miles and almost 300 hours of travel time to the hospital, easing the burden on many families during an already difficult time and reducing travel costs and time.
Leeds Children’s Hospital has also seen benefits, with less patients needing to come into the hospital, it’s helped with infection prevention and enabled better care and support for those patients in hospital.
Dr Susan Picton, Chemotherapy Lead for Haematology and Oncology at Leeds Children’s Hospital, explains that bolus chemotherapy is a way of delivering a single, concentrated dose of anti-cancer medication into a vein via a central line as a five-minute injection. The whole procedure takes approximately 20 minutes. This is different from an infusion, where the drug is delivered through a drip or pump, and can take several hours or even days.
She adds: “This was the first role of this kind, putting Leeds Children’s Hospital on the map as a trailblazer for this innovative service. Following a successful two years funded by Candlelighters we are delighted to be making this service part of our business as usual and available for patients in the future. It’s a fantastic example of how clinicians and charities can work together to improve care for patients, putting families first.”
And for families like Isla’s, the service has been transformative.
Isla’s Dad, Sean, says: “Being able to attend school and receive her treatment afterwards has been crucial to Isla’s education and her mental well-being. Neil has been exceptionally accommodating, coming after school hours and allowing Isla to avoid spending long, exhausting periods in hospital settings – something she has already endured, far more than any child should.”
Isla and her dad, Sean
“Neil has brought hope to our lives at a time when we felt there was none. The positive impact the in-home chemotherapy service has had on our family cannot be overstated.”
Throughout Candlelighters’ history, we have been trailblazers in cancer care and support and have continuously driven change and improvements in care for children and families. From supporting the introduction of many novel NHS roles and services to funding vital research and growing our own services, we are proud to have led many improvements in care for children and young with cancer.
Our vision has remained the same for the past 50 years: to bring light and hope to every family affected by childhood cancer across Yorkshire. Today we remain as dedicated as ever to improving the lives for children with cancer.
None of this would be possible without you, the incredible community of people who support us so and the work we do – thank you.
