Case study: The Christie

The Christie is a world-leading cancer centre that is well-known across Greater Manchester and beyond.

The specialist hospital treats more than 60,000 patients a year and was the first designated comprehensive cancer centre in the UK.

The Christie has a dedicated teenage and young adult unit to support patients aged between 16 and 24, who have been diagnosed with cancer – providing specialist, age appropriate, care and treatment in the UK.

Education and skills are important to young cancer patients, and the appeal of the Unit Award Scheme is that it allows learners to choose their own path. They can focus on secondary school curriculum subjects, life skills, outdoor activities, arts and crafts, and work-related learning. The Unit Award Scheme helps the young people at The Christie prepare for life after treatment.

That’s one of the reasons why some patients choose the Unit Award Scheme but, for others, it's a way of keeping occupied while being an inpatient.

Moreover, there is no fixed timetable or term time, which allows learners to accommodate their treatment without any fuss.

In short, the scheme allows young people to take control of their learning and progress at their own pace.

The Christie has found that employers are impressed by young people who took part in the Unit Award Scheme while they were being treated - making their applications stand out among the crowd.

In summary, the benefits are:

  • flexibility in learning styles
  • the options learners have to create their own units
  • overall ease of process for learners and co-ordinators.

Why we use the Unit Award Scheme

Hanna Simpson, Haematology and TYA Directorate Lead Nurse, said:

“The AQA Unit Award Scheme has been an instrumental development in the care of teenagers and young adults with cancer here at The Christie. We have been able to offer this as an opportunity to all those treated.

“The awards have been very popular and with this we have hosted an awards ceremony with the certificates given to the young people by our Chief Executive, showing how proud we are that we are able to support patients beyond a medical focus, by investing in them and their future."

Example of units the Christie have used

70048 Introduction to kayaking

115040 Making a pizza

113616 Introduction to bushcraft

112513 Walking with an Alpaca


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