KIDS with cancer and their families are having to travel twice as far and spend twice as much on journeys for treatment as adult patients.

Different types of childhood cancer require specialist treatment that is only available at a small number of centres.

Young patients and their families face average travel costs of £180 a month for their “cancer commute” to get appropriate treatment, according to research by charity Clic Sargent published today.

Their average round trip to hospital is 60 miles, but one family told the charity that they had to make a 800-mile round trip for treatment, the equivalent of London to Aberdeen and back.

Treatments can last from months to more than three years.

The charity has launched a petition urging the government to set up a travel fund for young cancer patients and to allocate £5 million a year to help cover their families’ long-term travel costs.

Clic Sargent chief executive Kate Lee said the current NHS healthcare travel costs scheme (HTCS) was not fit for purpose as only 6 per cent of families receive financial support.

Families spend £600 a month on average on top of everyday expenses and bills, which often leads to financial hardship, especially if parents give up work or reduce their hours to be with their child.

Nicky Brown’s son Oliver, 10, was diagnosed with blood cancer in August 2016. He was given the all-clear in May 2017 but relapsed earlier this year and is in hospital for a second stem-cell transplant.

The family live in Plymouth, Devon, but their nearest specialist treatment centre, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, is 120 miles away. Ms Brown, who gave up work, said the family has spent £1,280 on petrol this year.

“We also know that if this goes on a lot longer it will have significant consequences and we are going to end up in debt.

“Nobody asks for this to happen. Nobody wants to be in this situation … It would make such a difference to people to not have to think about the cost of just getting to treatment.”

A Department of Health & Social Care spokeswoman said that last year the NHS low-income scheme helped more than 337,000 applicants on a low income to pay for health costs, including travel.

Clic Sargent’s petition can be signed at clicsargent.org.uk/ccam.