WA Youth Cancer Service
The WA Youth Cancer Service (YCS) is a state-wide service delivered by North Metropolitan Health Service and based in the You Can Centre in the WA Comprehensive Cancer Centre at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.
The You Can Centre is the first of its kind in Australia and is specifically for young people aged 15 to 25 years old with cancer. The WA Youth Cancer Service offers age-appropriate psychosocial assessment and a multidisciplinary approach to developing a disease-specific medical treatment plan.
The You Can Centre has been designed with input from a youth advisory group to reflect the needs, technology, design and colours that embody young people’s preferences and attitudes allowing the social aspect of life to be maintained whilst undergoing treatment. Facilities include bright group and recreation spaces, counselling spaces, computers and other technology.
The WA YCS provides adolescents and young adult (AYA) patients referred to the service with:
Care coordination
Our cancer care coordinators include a clinical nurse consultant and a clinical nurse specialist who are available to AYA cancer patients and their families to provide support and advocacy in navigating the health system and coordinating treatment.
Medical services
We provide specialist medical advice and care for AYA cancer patients. Our YCS lead clinician works closely with other cancer specialists to ensure that patients have access to medical expertise relevant to youth health considerations and for their specific type of cancer.
Allied health
Our senior social workers provide a variety of psychosocial and counselling supports. Individual therapeutic support is available to all patients and can be offered in our private counselling space at the You Can Centre or at other metropolitan hospitals as required. The social work team also assesses patient needs and risks and ensures practical supports and all relevant referrals are considered and managed. This includes identifying specific educational and vocational needs for each patient and providing advocacy and support in discussions with the young person’s educational / teaching institution or vocational / employment contacts. Additionally, services may include exploring a patient’s support network and systems and ensuring that these networks are strengthened and cared for.
Our senior exercise physiologist provides patients with specific exercise advice and rehabilitation to help minimise the impact of their cancer treatment. Tailored exercises help patients maintain or improve muscular strength, endurance and flexibility so that they can better tolerate treatment and maintain physical strength to participate in normal everyday tasks.