Dorchester Paediatric Oncology Shared Care Service
What service do we provide?
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust are a Paediatric Oncology Shared Care Unit (POSCU) that works alongside the Principal Treatment Centre (PTC) University Hospital Southampton (UHS) to provide medical and nursing care closer to home where possible. The team in Southampton will contact our team in Dorchester prior to your child’s discharge from hospital and will give us all the relevant details of your child’s treatment regime.
You child will have ‘open access’ to Kingfisher Ward at any time, day, or night. This means that when your child is unwell, all you need to do is telephone the ward (in daytime hours) and the senior nurse on duty will arrange with the doctor for you to come in and be promptly reviewed and started on treatment if necessary. Overnight your child will have access to the bleep number of the senior doctor on call (Bleep 523 via the hospital switchboard: 01305 251150).
Please seek medical attention immediately if your child has a fever of 38 degrees or above OR you are concerned your child is unwell.
If your child should need to stay in hospital, your child will be more ‘at risk’ of infection and your child will generally have a single cubicle on the ward. There is a wonderful play team on Kingfisher to help keep your child entertained when they are feeling well enough.
During your treatment, you may also be referred to any of the following professionals for support and advice:
- Physiotherapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Psychologist
- Dietetics.
Guidelines for care are provided by the PTC and the teams will be in regular contact. Please ask if you have any concerns as things may be done slightly differently between the two wards.
Please bring your Parent Held Oncology Record with you whenever you come to the hospital and ask a member of staff to complete it for you.
Dorchester Oncology Clinic
There is a Paediatric Oncology Clinic at the Children’s Centre on a Thursday afternoon where your child (if required) will be reviewed by Dr Wylie and usually a Shared Care Nurse (Jody or Zoey). You will be informed of your appointment by telephone or letter.
At the clinic, your child will:
- be weighed and measured
- have their blood pressure checked
- have a blood test if necessary
- have medicines prescribed if needed
- have further treatment arranged in discussion with Piam Brown Ward
- discuss any issues or concerns you may have.
Home visits
The Community Children’s Nurses will arrange to see your child at home to:
- take blood samples as needed
- check the central line site, flush the line and change the bung and dressing (weekly)
- check any medication or treatment
- discuss any problems your child may have
- help obtain any equipment your child may need
- be available to answer any questions and give advice as required.
You will be informed of your child’s blood results, which you can write in the Parent Held Oncology Record and any alteration in your child’s treatment.
Local charities
(Please contact your Oncology Nurse or CCN for more information)
Three Ells Trust – Provide recreational and educational equipment to hospital and to families at home. They assist with the often-overlooked financial impact of travel and accommodation costs involved in the care or treatment of a loved-one.
Amelia’s Rainbow – Amelia’s Rainbow can offer you a Rainbow Gift, events, opportunities or stays in their beach hut or holiday home Amelia’s Retreat.
Lexi May Trust – Offer funding for days out to include transport, entrance fees, meal and entertainment vouchers. They also offer days at their beach hut.
Teddy 20 – Offer emotional and financial assistance to children and young individuals who are courageously battling cancer and navigating the challenges of treatment. They also offer holidays at Ted’s shack in Weymouth.
The Dorset Cancer Care Foundation – Provide financial assistance to Dorset residents and their families who are experiencing financial hardship due to cancer.
Sophie’s Legacy – Provide emotional, financial and practical support to help improve the hospital experience for families to feel empowered during their challenging times.
Meet the team
Dr Phil Wylie, Lead Consultant Paediatrician
Dr Clare Hollingsworth, Deputy Consultant Paediatrician
Zoey Fry, Lead Nurse
Jody Jenkins, Deputy Lead Nurse
Jo Cleall, Clinical Practice Educator
Emma Holder, Paediatric Clinical Lead Psychologist
Patient experience
Patient and Family feedback is extremely important to our service and we value hearing from you.
Contact numbers
We hope that you have found this information useful. If you have any questions, please contact us below:
CCN Team office phone: 01305 254279
CCN Team email address: ccndorchester@dchft.nhs.uk
Address:
The Children’s Centre
Dorset County Hospital
Dorchester
DT2 9UY
CCN/Oncology nurses working hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays)
If your child has a fever or is unwell please contact the Paediatric Assessment Unit between the hours of 8am – 9pm on 01305 254218
Overnight contact the paediatric doctor on call via switchboard: 01305 251150 and ask to bleep 523.
Kingfisher Ward: 01305 254253
Useful websites
Young Lives vs Cancer https://www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk/life-with-cancer/
Childrens Cancer and Leukaemia Group https://www.cclg.org.uk/About-Childhood-Cancer
Dorset Cancer Care Foundation https://www.dccf.co.uk/
Dorset Youth https://dorsetyouth.com/
About this leaflet
Author: Jody Jenkins, Deputy Lead Nurse for Oncology
Written: July 2025
Approved: July 2025
Review date: July 2028
Edition: v1
If you have feedback regarding the accuracy of the information contained in this leaflet, or if you would like a list of references used to develop this leaflet, please email patientinformation.leaflets@dchft.nhs.uk
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