£1.8m Unit for treating teenagers with cancer at University Hospital of Wales

May 25 2004

Teenage Cancer Trust is to build a £1.8m Unit for treating teenagers with cancer at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. The Unit will be the first time specific provision has been made for treating teenagers with cancer in Wales and will put a stop to teens being treated with either young children or geriatrics.

Each day in the UK, 6 teenagers will find out they have cancer. A recent survey suggests that 66% of teenagers with cancer in the UK are treated in inappropriate facilities. Between 1999 and 2001 there were 270 incidences of cancer in the 14-23 age group in Wales.

A Welsh donor has already given a massive £650,000 and Teenage Cancer Trust has pledged £650,000 from its central funds. On Monday 24th May, Teenage Cancer Trust will launch its fundraising campaign for the Unit at St David’s Hotel, Cardiff Bay. The charity is looking to raise a minimum of £500,000 to reach their target.

The Unit, aptly named the ‘Skypad’, is to be built on stilts between the adult and the child paediatric centres and will admit patients between the ages of 14 and 23. With 10 beds the Unit will treat patients from South and mid-Wales. (North Wales teenagers already benefit from the TCT Unit at Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool and will now have a choice). It will be equipped with the latest technology – computers, games consoles, interactive systems, digital lighting all with cutting-edge design. It will also incorporate a kitchen to help teens – and their parents and friends – escape hospital food.