CanNET Victoria: A National Demonstration Program to develop Cancer Services Networks in Australia

Hume Regional Integrated Cancer Service (HRICS) together with NEMICS have been selected as the Victorian demonstration ‘site’ for a federally funded National Demonstration Program known as CanNET (Cancer Services Networks National Demonstration Program).

The aim of the national program is to improve outcomes and reduce disparities in outcomes for people affected by cancer by providing high quality, clinically effective and coordinated cancer services across Australia. Each state will be allocated $1M over two years to undertake the program, and the work conducted will build on existing work that is currently being implemented by the state government within the Integrated Cancer Services (ICS).

Clinical networks provide benefit to both patients and health professionals. These include: improved integration of care across professional and health service boundaries, agreed care protocols and pathways across the network and more equitable service provision. In this Hume/NEMICS project we would hope to take an innovative approach to addressing some key issues such as improving access to multidisciplinary care for all patients and support for the cancer workforce.

From a NEMICS perspective, this new initiative provides us with an additional opportunity to develop linkages in a formal way between a regional and a metropolitan ICS. We would envisage that the work conducted in this program will provide valuable knowledge for all other ICS in addressing the way in which they work together to improve outcomes for patients.

The aim of Hume, NEMICS and CanNET Victoria is to establish a cancer care network that is driven by consumers and carers from the Hume and North Eastern Metropolitan regions of Victoria. This innovative project represents an extension of the ICS initiatives by building a productive and sustainable partnership across a metropolitan and rural ICS. The project will be guided by consumers and carers, and will focus on:

• Strengthening local capacity for the delivery of cancer services in the Hume region, and
• Improving transitions and continuity of care for those who need to travel to metropolitan cancer services for aspects of their treatment.

More general information about the CanNET program is available from Cancer Australia. For further information specifically relating to this initiative, please contact Margaret McKenzie, CanNET Victoria Project Manager, or Contact Us.

Last updated: Monday 6th October, 2008