To ask the Minister of Health to detail any arrangements for long-term follow-up care for paediatric and young adult cancer cases, in each Health and Social Care Trust.

Arrangements for long-term follow-up care for paediatric and adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients are guided by established clinical pathways and are being further strengthened through the implementation of the Regional Standards of Care for Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer in Northern Ireland, published in February 2025.

These standards set out a regionally consistent framework for survivorship and long-term follow-up care. In particular, Standard 11 requires that all AYA patients receive an end-of-treatment summary and an evidence-based long-term follow-up plan, typically coordinated through a Clinical Nurse Specialist. Work is underway to agree a standardised regional approach to documentation and delivery to ensure consistency across all Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts.

Long-term follow-up care is tailored to the individual and delivered across all Trusts, with arrangements determined by clinical factors such as cancer type, treatment received, risk of recurrence and potential late effects. Patients may require ongoing surveillance, monitoring for treatment-related complications, or access to specialist services, including late effects clinics where appropriate.

Paediatric follow-up care continues to be led through specialist services within the Belfast HSC Trust, with transition arrangements in place to support young people moving to AYA or adult services, where appropriate. Following completion of treatment, children and young people are reviewed on a needs-led basis within paediatric services. The frequency and duration of follow-up are determined by clinical need and take account of factors such as diagnosis, treatment received and the risk of late effects. Patients remain under paediatric follow-up until they reach an appropriate age for transition, at which point care is aligned with, and may transfer to, the AYA pathway to support continuity in long-term follow-up arrangements.

The regional AYA service model, currently being implemented, will further strengthen coordination of follow-up care through a networked approach, led by the Belfast HSC Trust as the principal treatment centre and supported by shared care across all Trusts. This will help ensure that patients benefit from specialist oversight while receiving aspects of their ongoing care closer to home where appropriate.

In addition to clinical follow-up, a range of holistic support services is available across all Trusts. These include psychological support, social care, education and employment advice, and lifestyle support, delivered in partnership with statutory services and the voluntary and community sector.

Overall, the aim is to ensure that all paediatric and AYA cancer survivors in Northern Ireland have equitable access to structured, person-centred long-term follow-up care which addresses both their clinical and wider survivorship needs.