April 2005

New cancer service for kids

Children suffering from cancer will get better access to treatment—with fewer trips to hospital and less time spent away from home—under a $4.1 million Government boost to children’s cancer services across the State.

Premier Steve Bracks and Health Minister Bronwyn Pike have said Monash Medical Centre will join the Royal Children’s Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre as Victoria’s leading childhood cancer centres.

The plan will not only see Monash upgraded to a major kids’ cancer centre—with extra oncologist sessions enabling more children living in the eastern and south-eastern suburbs to receive treatment closer to home—but will also become the nerve centre of a new statewide paediatric cancer service.

‘In a local sense, this is a great boost for the people of the eastern and south-eastern suburbs, because it means kids being treated at Monash will have better treatment, more often,’ Mr Bracks said.

‘But, even more importantly, this initiative will also mean better care for children with cancer across the state, because the new team at Monash will, for the first time, co-ordinate the care of those being treated at the other two cancer centres—the RCH and Peter Mac.’

Ms Pike said previously, different hospitals largely worked separately, meaning the scheduling of a child’s cancer treatment was complicated with children often seeing myriad specialists at different institutions.

‘Now, a dedicated 10-person cancer team, including nurse co-ordinators, specialist paediatric oncologists and a program co-ordinator, will work to ensure kids are seen by specialists familiar with their care, no matter which hospital they need to visit,’ she said.

‘Kids will benefit because each hospital will now have access to the expertise and skill of specialists at three specialist paediatric cancer centres.

‘Nurse co-ordinators will also be able to reduce the number of visits by better scheduling times for different treatments.

‘This will help families by reducing the frequency of travel to hospital.’

The new initiative is called the Statewide Paediatric Integrated Cancer Service (PICS). The Government has provided $4.1 million over four years for PICS.

This is in addition to the $20 million currently being spent by the Government on boosting general cancer services across the state.

While PICS will be co-ordinated by Monash Medical Centre, it will also see specialists employed at the other two hospitals to improve care for children and support the families.

Mr Bracks said around 200 children were treated each year in Victoria for childhood cancers, including leukaemia.

‘In the past, childhood cancer treatment at Monash Medical Centre has been limited by a shortage of specialist staff.

‘Now, with the appointment of additional paediatric oncologists and a program co-ordinator across the Statewide PICS, Monash will have the extra expertise and resources to expand childhood cancer treatments.

‘The focus on paediatric cancer will also give patients and their families improved access to psychological and social support and counselling to help them through difficult times.’

Ms Pike said the establishment of the service would also improve liaison with rural and regional hospitals over treatment of child cancer patients from country areas.

‘As part of the program, specialists will also be rotated through country hospitals to improve cancer diagnosis for children living in rural and regional areas,’ Ms Pike said.

The Government also unveiled plans for the new $650,000 Paediatric Day Oncology Unit at Monash Medical Centre, funded by the Kids with Cancer Foundation.

‘The new unit will be near the hospital’s main entrance which will make it more accessible, providing a child and family-friendly environment,’ Ms Pike said.

It is expected extra staff will be recruited and the Statewide PICS will begin providing services at the new unit by July.

As well as funding to establish PICS, the Government has allocated $6 million for new cancer treatment facilities at the Royal Children’s Hospital.