That is why, for the second consecutive year, we are proud to be hosting the Servier Australia Patient Central Award 2022.
The Patient Central Award recognises initiatives by Australian Healthcare Professionals and Patient Organisations that seek to improve the care and quality of life of Australians affected by cancer. An independent, multidisciplinary judging panel together with members of the public will determine the award winner, who will receive AUD $15,000 to contribute to their cancer initiative. In addition, we will offer a AUD $5,000 award to each of the three other shortlisted projects.
Entries are now closed, and the judging process has commenced. We’re delighted to have received 12 high quality submissions from a variety of cancer patient-serving organisations nation-wide, including Pancare Foundation, Townsville Hospital and Health Service, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, The Prince of Wales Hospital, Austin Health, Yarra Oncology, ICON Cancer Centre, Australian Prostate Centre, Leukaemia Foundation, and the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer.
Voting closes on 30 September 2022, so be sure to register your vote and lend your support to the project you want to take home the Patient Central Award 2022!
Submissions
The Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer: ‘Geriatric Assessment and Intervention (GAIn) Pathway’ initiative aims to ensure older patients living with cancer are identified early and assessed appropriately, using evidenced-based, geriatric screening and assessment.
The GAIn Pathway proposes to utilise the Patient Central Award to identify further gaps in care, and to overcome the many barriers encountered in managing older Australians living with cancer.
The Leukemia Foundation Australia: ‘Talking Blood Cancer Podcast’ strives to connect, and communicate with people living with blood cancer, together with their families, and support networks.
The Leukemia Foundation proposes to utilise the Patient Central Award to further enhance patient connection, to improve emotional wellbeing, and to ultimately positively impact overall patient health outcomes.
The Australian Prostate Centre (APC) is dedicated to providing multidisciplinary care for those living with prostate cancer. In 2017, the APC founded the Hormone Therapy Clinic for men living with advanced/ recurrent prostate cancer on Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT). The program aims to help patients to minimise the side-effects of their treatment, and to improve their quality of life.
The Yarra Oncology Centre: This Eastern suburbs of Melbourne community cancer practice recognises that an advanced cancer diagnosis is both life-changing, and traumatic. The Yarra Oncology Centre integrates, and embeds, emotional and physical patient support at the time of advanced cancer diagnosis. The centre delivers professional psychological counselling and
strives to embed exercise physiology into the initial consultations of every newly diagnosed, advanced cancer patient entering a treatment program.
The Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney is committed to addressing the lack of clinical guidance on chemotherapy nerve damage, known as ‘chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy’ (CIPN).
This patient-centric pathway prioritises early identification and intervention to improve outcomes. Expansion of this project will help guide optimal assessment and care for CIPN, including implementation of electronic patient reported outcomes and the development of standardised referral pathways to supportive care.
The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the National Centre for Infections in Cancer have partnered to create an Australian-first, advanced practice nursing role for the management of infections and antimicrobials for people living with cancer.
The Antimicrobial Stewardship edUcation for canceR nursEs (ASSURE) program was developed in response to a need for further training, and upskilling of nursing staff in antimicrobial treatment, in Australian regional, and rural communities.
Townsville Cancer Centre (TCC) recognises that a cancer diagnosis can prove overwhelming, and render most feeling vulnerable, and with a host of questions.
TCC aims to develop a series of educational videos for newly presenting patients, addressing specific aspects of oncology procedures, treatment regimes, and support services. Moreover, TCC is hoping that other oncology departments Australia-wide, will have the opportunity to learn from their initiative, in order to produce their own educational content to help support patients.
The Pancare Foundation provides support to patients and carers affected by pancreatic, liver, biliary, oesophageal and stomach cancers (upper GI Cancers) from diagnosis, through treatment, to end of life care, and beyond (with ongoing counselling). The PanSupport team provides access to specialist nurses, counselling, and support to anyone living with upper GI cancer, and to their families.
The Clinical Haematology Department at Austin Health has developed a program that determines the impact of lymphoma treatment on patient bone health, and to provide an opportunity for early intervention via rapid access to a dedicated Metabolic Bone Clinic for those at high risk of fracture, to help minimise their long-term fracture risk.
ICON Cancer Centre Hobart delivers world-class cancer care to the Tasmanian community. The centre’s team has been providing complimentary lymphedema screening services for patients living with breast cancer, and other cancers, for five years.
ICON Cancer Centre Hobart is dedicated to furthering lymphedema screening services in Tasmania, and to educating patients, and communities, about the risk factors for lymphedema, and the importance of screening.
Austin Health has developed the ‘Strong for Oesophago-gastric Cancer Surgery’ (SOCS) program – an enhanced pre-habilitation program designed to improve patient experience, and outcomes, before oesophageal and gastric cancer surgery, by delivering nutritional, physical, and psychological support to patients’ pre-surgery. Expansion of the SOCS program would help to improve patient physical fitness, nutritional maintenance while undergoing anti-cancer treatment, reduce surgical complications, and improve overall patient quality of life.
Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurse, Ian Henderson from the Royal Hobart Hospital and ICON Cancer Centre Hobart has joined forces with other private healthcare providers, to offer supportive care to Tasmanian men living with prostate cancer via the ‘Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurse Program’.
We are honoured to be hosting the Patient Central Award again this year and would like to thank each entrant for submitting their incredible patient-centric submissions.
Be sure to follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn, and to revisit us in November for the announcement of our Patient Central Award 2022 winner!
