Page 3540 - Week 11 - Thursday, 24 September 2015
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Delivering the clinical and supportive care for cancer patients at the Canberra Hospital inclusive of the centre is the 430 strong workforce made up of oncologists, radiologists, nurses, support staff, technicians and volunteers. I commend the staff and the volunteers on a successful first year for the Canberra Region Cancer Centre and the services they provide within it. I commend their commitment to making this new facility operational to facilitate the healthcare of Canberrans. Their dedication has seen the centre integrate services, research and teaching programs within a dedicated building to facilitate and drive improved cancer treatment for Canberrans and people in surrounding New South Wales.
The centre has brought together a full range of services including assessment, diagnostics and treatment to enable collaborative care including chemotherapy and radiation therapy as well as haematology and immunology services. It also has incorporated an ACT pathology collection centre, a pharmacy, a patient and family lounge and a patient information centre with access to online information and other resources. This is an environment designed to support a collaborative model of care. Co-locating all these services under one roof creates a more consistent patient experience.
With the move into the Canberra Region Cancer Centre the implementation of a rapid assessment clinic has been further developed in a dedicated area on level 4 and this is helping patients having current treatment or within three months of the completion of their treatment to be reviewed, assessed and, if required, treated by an oncology nurse and doctor. Initial review of the rapid assessment clinic model has found that total time for review, rate of hospital admission and length of stay after admission are being significantly cut shorter and that is a good thing compared to when patients were required to present to the emergency department.
The rapid assessment unit has been complemented by the availability of a 24-hour dedicated telephone triage number for current and recent patients of the centre. A shared model of care for early breast cancer has also commenced at the Canberra Region Cancer Centre with a new nurse-led clinic and preparation of end-of-treatment summaries to assist in follow-up care. A melanoma clinic has also commenced to assist in the multidisciplinary care of patients, especially now that there are many new treatment options including immune therapies and targeted agents available for this condition.
With the appointment of new specialists within haematology the waitlist has been reduced from six months to triage category time frames, and the ability to continue to refine and improve the multidisciplinary approach to lymphoma care and clinics continues. A volunteer program is also now in operation and extends engagement and support for people accessing the centre and in our cancer wards. Volunteers are engaged to assist with patient comfort measures, provide support and company and to assist with way-finding around the centre.
The location of this centre has enabled the radiation oncology service, which is a vital component of integrated care for many cancer patients, to be connected to and part of the centre. Radiation oncology is committed to ensuring treatment for radiation
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