Background:
A 2010 review of cancer services in South West Victoria recommended the development of a cancer service at Portland District Health. Aim: to improve appropriate patient access to a high quality service as close to home as possible. Major goals of this initiative were to provide a service that was:
Methods:
Following broad consultation, a service plan was developed then modified to allow specialist supervision of a 1 day/week chemotherapy service. Identified key barriers were addressed by a combined effort from all partners involved. Regional training and mentorship with South West Healthcare was important to the Service’s success. While initial treatments provided were deliberately simple for safety reasons, the service now regularly delivers more complex regimes. Feedback from patients, families and the local community has been unanimously positive. Previously, many of these patients would have travelled as far as Geelong or even Warrnambool; hours of travel can be extremely taxing for patients undertaking chemotherapy. At the official opening, a patient interviewed reported “it’s just fabulous to have it in our own home town”.
Results:
On 26th June 2014, less than 6 months after adoption of the modified service plan, the first patient received chemotherapy at Portland District Health. In the first 6 months of activity 123 patient treatments were safely provided, exceeding initial predictions. An evaluation session held 12 weeks post commencement identified that while there are still issues to be addressed; the new service was a resounding success.
Conclusion:
This collaborative approach with local drivers has allowed all stakeholders to play their part and ultimately benefit the local community. The success of this project highlights the benefits of an area-based approach to service delivery by building on the existing resources and organisations in regional health systems.