The new mental health support service, that Tom’s Trust launched at the Oxford Children’s Hospital in October 2024 is already reporting significant impact. Improvements have been reported in access to appointments, waiting lists for both cognitive assessment and therapeutic work have been cleared and Dr Emily Townsend, the Tom’s Trust clinical psychologist, has begun collaborating with other organisations, and meeting with schools to support children and young people back into education post treatment.
Dr Emily is now looking to ensure that children already seen by the service have up to date follow-up cognitive assessments (these help to form a pathway of care and provide a benchmark for any future progress or decline), to launch end of treatment groups and at further ways that the clinical psychology service can support schools and children returning.
Dr Emily Townsend
The paediatric neuro-oncology service at the Children’s Hospital in Oxford is the Principal Treatment Centre (PTC) for the Thames Valley region – reaching Swindon, Milton Keynes, Slough, Wycombe, Reading, and areas of Northamptonshire. In this region, there are approximately 30-40 children and young people diagnosed with brain tumours per year. Children are often followed up by the service for up to 10-years post treatment.
The Tom’s Trust clinical psychology service at the Children’s Hospital in Oxford exclusively supports the needs of children with brain tumours, and their families, recognising the complex psychological needs of this unique group of children and their families. The Tom’s Trust service has tripled the team’s capacity for direct clinical work, and they expect to be able to offer an additional 300 appointments to children with brain tumours and their families each year.
Rebecca Wood, CEO at Tom’s Trust, said:
“We are so proud to be able to help families living with a devastating brain tumour diagnosis and its effects in the Thames Valley region. We know this service will make a positive impact on the families who so desperately need this vital support, and it is so promising to see these results four months in.”