“Thank you so very much for everything, it’s been a frightening journey, but you have held my hand throughout and made it bearable.”
Cancer Care Coordinator Program Beneficiary
Patient story
Case Study in the words of the Cancer Nurse Coordinator:
“An 82-year old lady, who lives alone locally. No family or support network other than friends who are also elderly. Has a dog she is in love with called Brandy. I would organise transport for her daily treatments, then post radiation follow-up appointments. Due to her lacking a support system, I was also helping to organise medication at her pharmacy and liaising with friends to ensure her dog was looked after, when she required admission. I was able to refer her for community care, by working closely with the hospital social worker, and keeping her GP and community nurses informed on her progress.”
The program
The Cancer Nurse Coordinator role was made possible by a grateful GenesisCare patient. His wish was to provide additional help to patients who weren’t as lucky as he had been to have a strong support system during his cancer treatment.
Impact
Throughout its duration, this program took a holistic approach to patient journeys and supported around 20-30 patients each week, guiding them through their treatment journeys by:
- organising ongoing transport to and from treatment
- arranging accommodation through social work housing
- planning referrals to other services (physiotherapy, psychologist, etc.)
This resulted in proactively coordinating management of 4,500 complex patients who required extra support.
The success of this program will see it continued and expanded to enhance patient experience and outcomes.
