Excell Supports Teenage Cancer Trust

The Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) focuses on the needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer by providing specialist teenage units in NHS hospitals. As well as state-of-the-art facilities to keep patients occupied during long stays in hospital, the units provide an environment where teenagers can meet others in a similar situation. Units allow patients to build friendships and mechanisms to help them cope with their disease. Units are staffed with professionals able to fully understand and manage the needs of the patients.

To date, TCT has built units in London, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool and Newcastle. The concentration of medical expertise within the units can improve chances of survival. TCT endeavour to build an additional 22 units to ensure that every teenager with cancer has access.

In addition to its work in NHS hospitals, Teenage Cancer Trust provides an education and awareness team across the UK. The charity sponsors a Multidisciplinary Forum and a regular International Conference on Cancer and the Adolescent, for professionals. TCT has appointed the world’s first Professor of Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Medicine and also funds a conference designed specifically for teenage patients called ‘Find Your Sense of Tumour,’ as well as a support network for patients and their families after they leave hospital.

TCT also organises a number of high profile events to raise funds and generate a wider understanding of the problems faced by teenage patients.

Excell have installed an Avaya IP Office telephony system complete with volicemail in the TCT's HQ in London enabling the charity to streamline teir company communications and save money on calls and line rental. Excell are also installing phones in the London, Leeds and Manchester units enabling patients to talk to each other in different units about their experiences and how to cope with certain situations - at no cost. The next phase will link further units and enable patients from different units to play video games against each other, video conference each other and also their families at home.

Darren Strowger, Chairman of Excell, and a patron of Teenage Cancer Trust comments "it's important that we recognise that teenagers have different needs from children and adults and to that end, we are committed to helping the TCT in any way we can. Helping to provide a better experience for the patients and in turn improving chances of recovery provides a real sense of worth for everyone involved".

For more information visit www.teenagecancertrust.org or call 020 7387 1000.
Registered Charity No. 1062559