Cancer Learning - Mentors for Regional Hospitals and Cancer Professionals Program

Mentors for Regional Hospitals and Cancer Professionals Program

In 2005, the Department of Health and Ageing, prior to the establishment of Cancer Australia, awarded grants to 21 organisations to assist them to develop mentoring systems to link cancer professionals working in regional, rural and remote areas with major urban hospitals.

Each project was developed and implemented to meet locally identified needs. The following table summaries these 21 projects and their primary focus. Projects are grouped according to focus; a number of the projects had more than 1 focus and hence appear in this list more than once.

If you would like further information on any of these projects please contact Cancer Australia at: enquiries@canceraustralia.gov.au

Projects that focus on mentoring relationships and/or clinical exchanges for health professionals:

WA Rural Cancer Nurse Coordinator Mentoring

Organisation	Dept of Health WA
Project description	Assist Coordinators appointed to the new WA Cancer & Palliative Care Network to develop advanced knowledge and skills relating to contemporary cancer treatment and management.
Focus	Fostering mentoring relationships and/or providing clinical exchange opportunities for cancer nurse coordinators.

Cancer Mentor Program for Rural Clinicians - Improving Outcomes in Cancer Care

Organisation	Dept of Health WA
Project description	Increase the knowledge of contemporary cancer care amongst rural health care workers including registered and enrolled nurses, allied health staff and Aboriginal health workers.
Focus	Fostering mentoring relationships and/or providing clinical exchange opportunities for rural clinicians.

Gippsland Mentoring Program for Cancer Professionals and Latrobe Regional Hospital

Organisation	Latrobe Regional Hospital
Project description	Develop an innovative framework for mentoring Gippsland principal cancer professionals with three Centres of Excellence (The Alfred, St Vincent's Hospital and the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne) to build the foundation for multidisciplinary cancer services in the region.
Focus	Fostering mentoring relationships and/or clinical exchanges for rural nurses and surgeons in Gippsland.

Formal mentoring project for regional Paediatricians sharing the management of children with cancer

Organisation	Southern Health
Project description	Facilitate the provision of standardised medical support to children with cancer being managed in a shared care arrangement with regional care facilities.
Focus	Fostering mentoring relationships and/or clinical exchanges for rural paediatricians.

Towards best practice in oncology nursing at point of care

Organisation	Eastern Health
Project description	Educate and mentor generalist nurses in the multidisciplinary care of oncology patients in the hospitals and ambulatory care settings.
Focus	Fostering mentoring relationships and/or clinical exchanges for regional nurses.

Strengthening the Delivery of Safe and Effective Administration of Chemotherapy and Cancer Care in Rural SA

Organisation	Country Health SA
Project description	A Mentoring Program for Rural Health Service Providers to provide General Practitioners and Registered Nurses who administer chemotherapy and care to cancer patients in rural and remote health services with an opportunity to undertake a clinical update placement with a major metropolitan cancer centre service.
Focus	Fostering mentoring relationships and/or clinical exchanges for GPs and nurses.

Development, implementation & evaluation of a mentoring project for Pharmacists in regional hospitals in Queensland

Organisation	Queensland Health
Project description	Address the need for specialist advice, support and mentoring to be made available to Pharmacists working in cancer care in hospitals in rural and regional areas of Queensland who are expected to support clinical cancer care.
Focus	Fostering mentoring relationships and/or clinical exchanges for pharmacists.

Establishment of Specialist Breast Nurse Peer Mentoring Network

Organisation	Queensland Health
Project description	Pilot the implementation of a peer mentoring model for Specialist Breast Care Nurses working in the area of breast cancer which could be adapted for use by other community-based health professionals providing psychosocial care to breast cancer patients and those in other tumour streams.
Focus	Fostering mentoring relationships and/or clinical exchanges for breast care nurses.

Hub and Spoke Cancer Mentoring

Organisation	Dept of Health & Community Services NT
Project description	To increase the exposure of NT health professionals to best practice methods in cancer care and provide an enhanced level of care to cancer clients in regional and remote hospitals in the Northern Territory by supporting a network of multidisciplinary health professionals in sustainable mentoring relationships.
Focus	Fostering mentoring relationships and/or clinical exchanges for regional nurses.

Local, Regional and City Cancer Links

Organisation	Health Administration Corporation
Project description	Provide newly appointed staff from all disciplines working in cancer services in the Greater Western Area Health Service with the requisite skills, competencies and confidence to provide quality cancer care in the rural setting.
Focus	Fostering mentoring relationships and/or clinical exchanges for staff new to cancer and palliative care services.

Strengthening Support for Practitioners who treat breast cancer

Organisation	NSW Breast Cancer Institute
Project description	Provide a mentoring program for breast care nurses working in regional Australia and provide a discharge pack for local nursing staff (enrolled/general/specialist) to give their patients.
Focus	Fostering mentoring relationships and/or clinical exchanges for breast care nurses.

Statewide Cancer Networking and Mentorship

Organisation	Cancer Institute NSW
Project description	Develop a cohesive statewide cancer network that effectively supports health care professionals and positively impacts on the access to, and quality of, health care provided to cancer patients.
Focus	Fostering mentoring relationships and/or clinical exchange opportunities.

Projects that focus on delivering education and training in regional and rural areas (often using staff from larger cancer centres):

Specialist Speech Pathology and Nutrition Care Mentoring

Organisation	St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne
Project description	Improve access to highly skilled, local speech pathology and nutritional care services for head and neck cancer patients living in regional Victoria through the provision of an organised and comprehensive mentoring/coaching program in the specialty areas of laryngectomy and tracheostomy management, and nutrition support.
Main Foci	Delivering education and training in regional and rural areas.

Mentoring in Management of Hematological Malignancies

Organisation	Border Medical Oncology (Research Fund)
Project description	Improve the treatment outcomes, coordination of care and provide best practice treatment and care for patients with hematological cancers by developing a mentoring program between a metropolitan tertiary centre and a regional oncology service.
Main Foci	Delivering education and training in regional and rural areas.

Grampians Integrated Cancer Service - head and neck cancer

Organisation	Ballarat Health Services
Project description	Improve the quality and local availability of cancer services for patients with head and neck cancer in the Grampians region.
Main Foci	Delivering education and training in regional and rural areas.

Formal mentoring project for regional Paediatricians sharing the management of children with cancer

Organisation	Southern Health
Project description	Facilitate the provision of standardised medical support to children with cancer being managed in a shared care arrangement with regional care facilities.
Main Foci	Delivering education and training in regional and rural areas.

Towards best practice in oncology nursing at point of care

Organisation	Eastern Health
Project description	Educate and mentor generalist nurses in the multidisciplinary care of oncology patients in the hospitals and ambulatory care settings.
Main Foci	Delivering education and training in regional and rural areas.

Coordinated Cancer Services in south east South Australia - Better Care through Therapeutic Partnership, Training & Telemedicine

Organisation	Country Health SA
Project description	Improve the collaborative links between health care providers in the South East of South Australia and the Flinders Medical Centre, and improve access to quality coordinated cancer care for residents of the South East of South Australia.
Main Foci	Delivering education and training in regional and rural areas.

Hub and Spoke Cancer Mentoring

Organisation	Dept of Health & Community Services NT
Project description	To increase the exposure of NT health professionals to best practice methods in cancer care and provide an enhanced level of care to cancer clients in regional and remote hospitals in the Northern Territory by supporting a network of multidisciplinary health professionals in sustainable mentoring relationships.
Main Foci	Delivering education and training in regional and rural areas.

Projects that focus on families and children:

Formal mentoring project for regional Paediatricians sharing the management of children with cancer

Organisation	Southern Health
Project description	Facilitate the provision of standardised medical support to children with cancer being managed in a shared care arrangement with regional care facilities.
Main Foci	Families and children.

Evidence based family sensitive practice as part of routine cancer and palliative care

Organisation	Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute
Project description	Strengthen the capacity of the multidisciplinary cancer and palliative care team to include family sensitive practice as part of routine care.
Main Foci	Families and children.

Supporting Rural Health Care Providers bring Children with Cancer safely home

Organisation	Country Health SA
Project description	Ensure that health care professionals in country areas are included as integral members of the multidisciplinary cancer care team and actively supported to maintain the skills and knowledge base required to confidently and effectively care for children with cancer when they return to their home.
Main Foci	Families and children.

Projects that promote the establishment of multidisciplinary teams and/or care (MDTs/MDC) in rural and regional areas:

Specialist Speech Pathology and Nutrition Care Mentoring

Organisation	St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne
Project description	Improve access to highly skilled, local speech pathology and nutritional care services for head and neck cancer patients living in regional Victoria through the provision of an organised and comprehensive mentoring/coaching program in the specialty areas of laryngectomy and tracheostomy management, and nutrition support.
Main Foci	Promoting MDTs/MDC in rural and regional areas.

Development, implementation and evaluation of a mentoring project for Pharmacists in regional hospitals in Queensland

Organisation	Queensland Health
Project description	Address the need for specialist advice, support and mentoring to be made available to Pharmacists working in working in cancer services in hospitals in rural and regional areas of Queensland who are expected to support clinical cancer care.
Main Foci	Promoting MDTs/MDC in rural and regional areas.

Formal mentoring project for regional Paediatricians sharing the management of children with cancer

Organisation	Southern Health
Project description	Facilitate the provision of standardised medical support to children with cancer being managed in a shared care arrangement with regional care facilities.
Main Foci	Promoting MDTs/MDC in rural and regional areas, using electronic and web-based technologies.

Grampians Integrated Cancer Service - cancer related neurosurgery

Organisation	Ballarat Health Services
Project description	Focus on improving the quality and local provision of cancer services for patients with brain tumours within the Grampians region.
Main Foci	Promoting MDTs/MDC in rural and regional areas, using electronic and web-based technologies.

Grampians Integrated Cancer Service - lung Cancer

Organisation	Ballarat Health Services
Project description	Improve the quality and provision of cancer services for patients with lung cancer throughout the Grampians region.
Main Foci	Promoting MDTs/MDC in rural and regional areas, using electronic and web-based technologies.

Improving regional cancer care - developing multidisciplinary mentoring links with specialist metropolitan cancer centres

Organisation	Upper Hume Community Health Service (Border Cancer Care Coordination Project)
Project description	Improve cancer care for patients in the Albury-Wodonga region by developing sustainable mentoring links for clinicians and health professionals with specialists from metropolitan cancer specialist centres.
Main Foci	Promoting MDTs/MDC in rural and regional areas, using electronic and web-based technologies.

Mentoring in Management of Hematological Malignancies

Organisation	Border Medical Oncology (Research Fund)
Project description	Improve the treatment outcomes, coordination of care and provide best practice treatment and care for patients with hematological cancers by developing a mentoring program between a metropolitan tertiary centre and a regional oncology service.
Main Foci	Promoting MDTs/MDC in rural and regional areas, using electronic and web-based technologies.

Supporting Rural Health Care Providers bring Children with Cancer safely home

Organisation	Country Health SA
Project description	Ensure that health care professionals in country areas are included as integral members of the multidisciplinary cancer care team and actively supported to maintain the skills and knowledge base required to confidently and effectively care for children with cancer when they return to their home.
Main Foci	Promoting MDTs/MDC in rural and regional areas, using electronic and web-based technologies.

Coordinated Cancer Services in south east South Australia - Better Care through Therapeutic Partnership, Training & Telemedicine

Organisation	Country Health SA
Project description	Improve the collaborative links between health care providers in the South East and the Flinders Medical Centre, and improve access to quality coordinated cancer care for residents of the South East of South Australia.
Main Foci	Promoting MDTs/MDC in rural and regional areas, using electronic and web-based technologies.