Well Women Workshops. Hume RICS Annual Report

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1 Newsletter November 2014 Inside this issue: Well Women Workshops 1 Hume RICS Annual Report 1 Our mission is to guide and coordinate the development of cancer services and positively make a difference to cancer support and treatment within the Hume region Welcome to the latest edition of the Hume RICS newsletter! We are pleased to provide an overview of our activities over the past six months. Please contact us with your feedback and ideas for future editions. On behalf of the Hume RICS team, I would like to wish you a safe and happy festive season and we look forward to your continued support in Chris Packer, Strategic Manager Advanced care planning and end of life issues in the Aboriginal Community Prostate cancer support nurse 2 Consumer forums 2 New lung cancer multidisciplinary team meeting Make a date to break the lake! 2 New urology cancer multidisciplinary team meeting Bowel cancer awareness forums 3 Cancer awareness resources for the Aboriginal community New Primary Health Networks 3 Transport Assistance Schemes 4 Conference presentations Well Women Workshops Hume RICS received funding from Cancer Australia for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Well Women Workshops. In collaboration with Murrumbidgee Local Health District, Mungabareena Aboriginal Corporation, Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative, GV Health Aboriginal Liaison Officers, BreastScreen NSW & Victoria, Aboriginal Health Workers, Breast Care and Women s Health Nurses, Hume RICS facilitated two workshops in Albury/ Wodonga and Shepparton in August. These workshops helped participants understand the importance of early detection, the role of mammographic screening and how to identify breast cancer symptoms and included pamper activities for the 48 Aboriginal women aged between years, who attended. Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre 4 Hume RICS Annual Report Performance Indicator Audits 5 Participation in statewide projects 5 The Annual Report is close to completion and will showcase the work and achievements of Hume RICS over the last financial year in partnership with health services, health professionals and consumers across the Hume region. The Hume RICS Annual Report will be available for download from in the coming weeks. Advance Care Planning and End of Life Issues in the Aboriginal Community Hume RICS Directorate and 63 Wyndham Street SHEPPARTON VIC 3630 Ph: Fax: Border / East Hume Cancer Network 107 Hume Street WODONGA VIC 3690 Ph: Fax: info@humerics.humehealth.org.au Web: This project aims to address the need for culturally appropriate palliative care for Aboriginal people in the Hume region and has a focus on education around advance care planning and end of life issues for Aboriginal health and community professionals. These activities will be guided by an identified knowledge gap in the Hume region around accessing palliative care services, advance care planning, making a will, power of attorney and end of life issues. The project will equip Aboriginal Health Workers and community workers to provide better care by delivering education sessions around these knowledge gaps and support placements within palliative care services. A series of forums will be held across the Hume region for health professionals working with Aboriginal clients, with the first to be held in Shepparton on Tuesday 11th November For further information please call Robyn Sharman or Valda Murray on

2 Page 2 Skin cancer facts and stats 2 in 3 Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70 Around 2,000 Australians die from skin cancer each year Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world Skin cancers account for about 80% of all new cancers diagnosed each year in Australia. Each year, Australians are 4 times more likely to develop a common skin cancer than any other form of cancer The most commonly diagnosed cancer among adolescents and young adults is melanoma; it accounts for more than onequarter of all cancers among Australians aged years Information from The SunSmart app for iphone, ipad and Android can be downloaded for free! The app lets you know when you do and don't need sun protection, making it easier than ever to be smart about sun exposure all year Consumer forum - West A successful consumer forum was held in Shepparton in May called Moving Towards Wellness. Discussion topics included managing ongoing side effects after cancer treatment has finished, healthy lifestyle including diet & fatigue management, emotional health, practical resources regarding returning to work, adjusting to changing roles in the family, resources and support available for family members, friends and carers and spirituality. Included were guest speakers from Primary Care Connect, GV Health Oncology, Family Care, Centrelink, Social Work and Dietetics. Marina Klooster from Centrelink speaking at the consumer forum Prostate Cancer Support Nurse A Goulburn Valley (GV) Health Prostate Cancer Support Nurse (PCSN) commenced on 1 st September 2014 at the Peter Copulos Wellness Day Oncology Unit, Shepparton. The role provides an essential local resource for men and their families who are undergoing treatment for prostate cancer and will also focus on education and awareness of early detection and treatment. The PCSN role works in conjunction with the patient s medical team, provide ongoing support to diagnosed men and their families, assist patients in understanding their diagnosis and treatment plan, and coordinate their care offering support and referring to relevant services. The Prostate Cancer Support Nurse can: Provide ongoing contact and support Assist with access to services during and after treatment Provide information about a patient s diagnosis and treatment plan Provide information on dealing with the effects of treatment Coordinate a patient s care Help patients access a support group To access the Prostate Cancer Support Nurse, please phone GV Health on , fax or pcsn@gvhealth.org.au Border/East Hume Cancer Network Consumer forum - Border / East In June a consumer forum was held in Albury called Cancer Services and Supports: Things you wish you knew more about. A number of guest speakers provided information about services and supports available to people with a cancer diagnosis, including Intereach, Centrelink, Uniting Care, Palliative Care, Leukaemia Foundation, Cancer Care Coordinators and Clinical Trials. There were also presentations about spirituality and the development of the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre, including the Wellness Centre. Tracey Kauter from Intereach speaking at the consumer forum New lung cancer multidisciplinary team meeting (MDTM) In response to important feedback received from our participating clinicians and health professionals, a local lung cancer MDTM has been established in the Border/East Hume Cancer Network which links local clinicians with cardiothoracic surgeons from metropolitan tertiary institutions via online conferencing. This enables the development of shared care plans for patients with a lung cancer diagnosis who live in the Border/East Hume Cancer Network. Make a date to Break the Lake! The Lake Hume Cycle Challenge, coordinated by the Rotary Club of Bellbridge-Lake Hume, will be held on Saturday 21st February 2015 to raise funds for the Wellness Centre, at the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre. The event offers road rides (133km, 100km and 40km) around Albury Wodonga as well as a 5km ride/walk for families and an event village. More details can be found at

3 Page 3 Have your say! Join the Hume RICS Community Participation Network Call us on for more details New urology cancer multidisciplinary team meeting (MDTM) A urology MDTM linking Goulburn Valley Health into St Vincent s Hospital Melbourne has been recently established and will provide patients with an opportunity to have their treatment plans discussed and developed collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team setting. Participating clinicians can currently access the MDTM via teleconference with future plans for access via online videoconferencing. Bowel cancer awareness forums During the month of June, Bowel Cancer Australia delivered five bowel screening awareness and education sessions across the West Hume (Shepparton, Seymour & Cobram), in particular targeting Aboriginal and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Topics included what are the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer?, bowel cancer screening, knowing your family history and support services available. Positive feedback was received from participants who attended the sessions. Border/East Hume Cancer Network Tissue biobanking Hume RICS have been working in collaboration with the Border Medical Oncology Research Unit and the Health Service Alliance (HSA) Biobank to establish a process for patients in Albury Wodonga to participate in a statewide biobank initiative. A biobank is a collection of human samples such as tissue and blood, linked to patient information, which is stored and made available to researchers, now and into the future. Recruitment will commence shortly. More information is at and detailed local information will be provided on our website in the near future. A suite of resources to promote cancer awareness in the Aboriginal community In our last newsletter, we reported on the development of a wallet-sized card and pin to promote lung cancer awareness in the Aboriginal community. This accompanies a series of DVDs that have been developed: Merle s story: a story about detecting lung cancer early Let s yarn about lung cancer: key messages about the risks and symptoms of lung cancer Archie Roach - Surviving lung cancer: a personal story of surgery and recovery from lung cancer Beginning the Journey: an introduction to chemotherapy and radiation treatment (cover shown below) Please contact Hume RICS regarding these resources on Bowel cancer awareness forum held in Seymour Primary Health Network Boundaries Announced In the Federal budget it was announced that Medicare Locals would be defunded and replaced with larger organisations called Primary Health Networks (PHN). The boundaries for the 30 PHNs can be viewed on the Department of Health website: The Victorian area currently serviced by Hume Medicare Local (HML) and Goulburn Valley Medicare Local will be covered by the Murray Primary Health Network which extends all the way to the South Australian border. The NSW area covered by HML will become part of Western NSW Primary Health Network which covers all of NSW west of the Great Dividing Range. Left: Victorian Primary Health Network map

4 Page 4 Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (VPTAS) Australian cancer trials website australiancancertrials.gov.au This website is for those who have cancer and are considering taking part in a trial to test a new treatment. It's for family, friends and also cancer specialists, to provide easy access to the very latest information about clinical trials Australian Cancer Trials provides a database of research trials that are currently being carried out in Australia to find better ways of treating cancer. Some of these trials may offer treatment options that would not otherwise be available to you, your friends or family If you live in rural and regional Victoria, seeing a medical specialist can require a lot of travel and you may also require accommodation. VPTAS may provide financial help for costs involved. VPTAS provides financial subsidies to eligible patients living in rural and regional Victoria who need to travel long distances to access medical specialist services. In order to receive a subsidy you will need to complete a VPTAS claim form. You may be eligible for subsidies if you meet all three of the following requirements: You live in rural Victoria Your treatment is included in the list of eligible medical specialist treatments You need to travel 100 kilometres or more one way or you need to travel (on average) 500 kilometres per week for five or more weeks in a row. Further information can be found at or please contact your cancer nurse for further assistance. A similar scheme is also available for NSW residents, with further information about the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS) available from Conference presentations by Hume RICS staff Robyn Sharman delivered a presentation at the Australian Lung Cancer Conference in Brisbane on 15th October about the Cancer Australia funded Aboriginal lung cancer awareness project which was conducted in Albury Wodonga. Robyn Sharman and Valda Murray presented the Aboriginal Cancer Program at the Cancer Institute NSW (CINSW) Innovations Conference on 17th October, which was available via live online video streaming from the CINSW s website (as shown in the screenshot below). This website is an information resource, to help you find out more about cancer trials as a basis for discussion with a cancer specialist. It is not a substitute for a discussion Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre The Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre (ACSC) is based at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne and is working to help improve outcomes for people affected by cancer. Utilising the perspective that survivorship begins at diagnosis the Centre aims to improve a range of outcomes for people affected by cancer. The Centre focuses on integrating survivorship focused care across the cancer journey and on improving post-treatment care. The ACSC is focusing on increasing awareness, especially about issues that affect survivors after their treatment ends. They believe that more awareness will bring about positive changes in the health system that will improve the care of cancer survivors. Information for survivors, family, friends and health professionals is available at or phone

5 Page 5 Performance Indicator Audits Each year Hume RICS conducts the Victorian Cancer Service Performance Indicator audits on behalf of the Department of Health. The audit measures progress with the implementation of Victorian Government cancer reform policy, results of this biennial audit program are summarized in the chart below. In this most recent audit cycle, Hume RICS service sites demonstrated an improvement against each performance indicator, and continued to out perform the state average results in Supportive Care Screening. Participation in statewide projects For further information about any of these projects, please contact us on or visit St Vincent s Linking Care Project The aim of this project is to improve the quality and timeliness of the communications between the St Vincent s Cancer Nurse Coordinators and the Cancer Liaison Nurses/Cancer Care Coordinators in Albury/Wodonga and Shepparton, to facilitate the continuity of quality care of patients diagnosed with either a Central Nervous System, colorectal or genito-urinary malignancy, following discharge from surgical inpatient treatment at St Vincent s Hospital, Melbourne. This project will develop a communication framework that can be extended to other tumour streams and other service providers to improve metropolitanregional transfer of care. A number of consumers from the Hume region are providing important community input to the project. Survivorship Project Hume RICS are working in partnership with the Barwon South Western Regional Integrated Cancer Service (BSWRICS) to implement a model that provides survivorship nurse consultations to patients who have completed curative chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. An individual care plan specific to the patient s tumour type will be developed and provide a focus for health assessment, prevention of cancer recurrence and provision of specific information related to the person s health needs and goals. Coordinated pathways of care between cancer services and primary health providers will be developed to increase engagement of each patient s GP and increase access for cancer survivors to allied health and community health services. This program will be adapted from the BSWRICS model to address local needs and pathways. Statewide MDTM software Hume RICS have been participating in a project to develop a statewide multidisciplinary team meeting MDTM software system. The project has commenced the task of covering a large and diverse number of tumour stream specific datasets which also complement the pre-existing consensus dataset for MDTMs. The intent at present is to achieve a consensus tumour stream specific minimum MDTM data set for inclusion into a statewide solution, incorporating the most suitable and commonly used data items for MDTMs. This data set information will be supplied to a successful tenderer as the basis of a data model for the new MDTM software. For more information about Hume RICS, please visit