The team will call on specialists as required, for example from radiotherapy (clinical oncology), pharmacy, pain management, anaesthesia and specialist children’s nurses responsible for your child’s care in hospital and at home.

There are also supporting professionals who play key roles in assessing and helping each child and their family during and after treatment. They include: play leaders, youth workers, social workers, family support workers, dieticians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, hospital school teachers, speech and language therapists, psychiatrists, clinical and neuro- psychologists. These people meet together with the medical team and contribute to assessment and selection of patients who would best be helped with a particular approach.

Children and young people under our care are discussed with members of the multi-professional team on a regular basis. There is a 24 hour (24/7) daily cover arrangement by specialist paediatric consultants to provide advice to the clinical teams. Each child/young person has their case discussed at the relevant multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meeting. We have a number of MDT meetings including:

• Solid tumour MDT
• Leukaemia MDT
• Brain and Spine MDT
• Teenager and Young Adult MDT
• Neuro-rehab
• Psychosocial MDT

These meetings take place as video conferences involving staff from across the East Midlands.

It is at the MDT that the diagnosis, treatment decisions, planning, progress and any necessary changes in treatment are discussed. We obtain second opinions from national and international medical colleagues at other hospitals where cases are particularly unusual, or directed by the clinical trial. This system of extensive consultation for planning of treatment and assessment of progress is a national requirement for good clinical practice. Combined with the trials programme, we believe it offers each patient the best opportunity for their case to be considered in detail, using the most up to date evidence, so that your named consultant is supported in their advice to you. Be reassured that all treatment decision/changes will be discussed with you.