King’s supports launch of oncology health app for parents and children

25 September 2023 - A new free online resource for families with childhood cancer diagnosis has launched with the support of clinicians from King’s College Hospital.

The Oncology Guide, a new free online resource for families with childhood cancer diagnosis has launched with the support of clinicians from King’s College Hospital.

The Oncology Guide, the first resource of its kind, is designed to empower parents and prepare children by providing the knowledge they need most at the start of their cancer journey; a single, reliable, digestible, easy to access resource for both parents and children to turn to for vital information about what lies ahead.

Presented in bite-sized and engaging family-friendly films and animations for ages 2 – 12, each piece of content features a real child or practitioner explaining what to expect.

The idea of the app came from Charley Scott, mum to Jess who was diagnosed with T-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma at the age of 2. After 2.5 years of treatment at King’s, Jess is now a thriving 8-year-old. Charley said:

“When you hear the news your child has cancer, your whole world falls apart and your life is suddenly changed forever. As a parent, you want all the information you can get, which can often lead to late nights of internet searching, in many cases in the wrong direction.

“And you want to know how on earth you can ever explain to, or prepare your child for what is happening…… The Oncology Guide is all about giving the right information at the right time, ……and in the right tone.”

King’s partnered with the Oncology Guide in providing medical expertise for the films – together with part-funding from the Friends of King’s charity – which along with medically-verified written information from the Children’s Cancer & Leukaemia Group means parents can read at their own speed and refer back to time and again.

Dr Omowunmi (Mo) Akindolie, Consultant Paediatrician at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, added:

“We have learned from listening to children and families under our care that communication is key. It’s also vitally important to give them access to engaging and easy to understand information about the many aspects of their cancer diagnosis and treatment.

“Testament to the power of collaborations which place children and families firmly at the centre of all that we are doing, it will also help staff across the NHS optimise our communication with children and their families throughout their cancer journey.”

Designed as a web app, the platform is fully accessible through a web browser on all devices and will feature a shortcut option as an app icon on a devices home screen.