The Cancer Shared Care project aims to improve the health and outcomes of people living with cancer, cancer survivors and their carers in the Murray PHN region, with enhanced care coordination.
Shared cancer follow-up care involves the joint participation of specialists and GPs in the planned delivery of cancer care from diagnosis to end of life. This includes a focus on survivorship - being supported to live as well as possible for as long as possible, during and after active cancer treatment.
Research has shown that shared survivorship care is as effective as specialist care for health and clinical outcomes and has a higher patient satisfaction.
The Cancer Shared Care project will strengthen the relationship between GPs and hospital-based oncology teams in acute and primary care settings, to work collaboratively with patients and carers. In consultation with people with a lived experience of cancer, health professionals and other key stakeholders, a rural cancer shared care model where care is shared between the hospital-based oncology team and general practice will be developed and implemented.
The City of Wangaratta and Shire of Gannawarra have been identified as having high incidence and mortality for breast, colorectal, prostate and low-risk endometrial cancers. Practices in these regions have been invited to participate in the pilot, implementing cancer shared care with their patients in early 2023.
Facilitated consumer and key stakeholder workshops will support the development of individualised, holistic and place-based models of care to pilot in these locations.
For more information about the project, please contact Vitor Rocha e: vrocha@murrayphn.org.au
Page last updated: 14 July 2023