Our Work
In recent years we have:
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Built 2 new rooms onto the Unit, increasing the number of beds.
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Helped create a new Teenagers & Young Adults Service, in partnership with four other children’s cancer charities.
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Funded the installation and purchase of a specialist Ultrasound Scanner, which benefits the whole Children’s Hospital and has reduced waiting lists for scans.
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Developed a robotics initiative, helping children get back in the classroom while spending time at home or in hospital during treatment.
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Funded the development of the CCUC Relax It App which helps children prepare for treatment.
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Donated £300,000 towards a MRI Scanner at the Children’s Hospital.
Learn more about us by watching our video:
How we help
The Children’s Cancer Unit Charity is committed to providing ongoing support to the Unit. It does this in a number of ways.
Staffing
As in the early days, the CCUC provides additional funding for staffing. Posts funded by the charity include a dedicated Play Specialist at the Outpatients Clinic, a Practice Educator, Data Manager and an Assistant Child Psychologist.
Equipment
With the guidance of the medical professionals, the Charity also purchases essential equipment for the unit when needed.
As well as contributing £300,000 to a charity-funded MRI scanner and paying for a new ultrasound scanner for the children’s hospital, the ‘CCURelaxIt’ App was also developed thanks to CCUC funding. This piece of software helps prepare children for daunting procedures in a non-invasive way and has already become a vital tool for our Play Specialists.
Infrastructure
We are proud to have built the original eight bedded Unit back in 1987. Since then, the CCUC has extended it by constructing a further two isolation rooms – increasing the capacity at the Unit by two more beds.
The CCUC continues to upgrade and improve other areas of the Unit through renovations and redecoration, creating a more welcoming and pleasant place for our patients.
Training & Research
A vital part of our work is to fund important research and promote ongoing training. This means that our medical team is up-to-date on the latest medical and technological advances in childhood cancer care and are at the forefront of new innovative treatments.
As well as funding a Research Nurse, we send our team to global conferences and seminars every year to participate in discussions and to share knowledge with their peers around the world.
Teenagers & Young Adults
In collaboration with four other charities, the CCUC established a new Teenagers and Young Adults Cancer Service which saw an enhanced and regional support network, consisting of specialist nurses and social workers, brought to more young people. This ensures that teenagers and young adults affected by cancer can avail of specialist, age-appropriate care, wherever they are in Northern Ireland.