Event alerts

Each month we will share news about events related to cancer and care pathways that may be of interest for you to share with PHN providers you support.

 

June 2024 news and updates

Health Professional Tours - Refugee Camp in my Neighbourhood (2 CPD points)

Take an interactive health-specific tour through a simulated refugee camp experience. You’ll experience the journey of a refugee and gain a better understanding of the challenges they face as they arrive in Australia. 

This interactive tour will help you:   

  • Understand how the refugee experience can impact on wellbeing.   
  • Develop your understanding of risk factors for this group.   
  • Improve your ability to engage effectively with people from refugee backgrounds. 
  • Each tour = 2 CPD hours 

Tours are delivered by guides from a range of refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds, and NSW Refugee Health staff. 

Bookings are now open for health-focused professional development tours in 2024 

  • Date: Wednesday 7 August 2024 
  • Location: Whitlam Institute within Western Sydney University James Ruse Dr &, Victoria Rd, Rydalmere NSW 2116, Australia 
  • Time: Tour start times vary. Tours depart every 30 minutes. 
  • Duration: Each tour takes approximately 2.5 hours 
  • Cost: $35 (use discount code HEALTH) 
  • Discounts apply for group bookings – minimum and maximum of 20 people. 

Book here

 

WEBINAR: Approach to enhancing Cancer Screening and Prevention in Primary Care 

On Monday 8th of April at 7:30PM, join the RACGP and Cancer Institute NSW in a free, one-hour webinar to educate health service delivery teams (General Practitioners, practice nurses, practice managers and administration staff) on how to locally tailor and enhance cancer prevention and support participation in the national cancer screening programs. Register below!

Webinar Brochure/Social Media Tile

The RACGP NSW&ACT Faculty and the Cancer Institute NSW are partnering in a one-hour webinar to educate health service delivery teams (General Practitioners, practice nurses, practice managers and administration staff) on how to locally tailor and enhance cancer prevention and support participation in the national cancer screening programs.

The Institute’s Primary Care Cancer Control Quality Improvement Toolkit supports identification of at-risk patients and provides practical strategies for cancer focused quality improvement.

Date and Time: 8th April (Monday) 2024, 7:30PM -8:30PM 

Speakers: 

  • Assoc. Prof Joel Rhee, Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Cancer and Palliative Care 
  • A/Prof Carolyn Ee, Survivorship Specialist, Supportive Care & Integrative Oncology Specialist GP, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse 
  • Professor Tracey O’Brien, Chief Cancer Officer and Chief Executive Officer, Cancer Institute NSW 
  • Hayley Robertson, Policy, Equity and System Enablement Manager, Cancer Institute NSW 

Learning Outcomes: 

  • Outline current NSW performance and trends in cancer prevention and screening 
  • Identify key elements underpinning team-based, cancer focused, quality improvement in the practice setting 
  • Outline data and systems utilisation to support participation in national cancer screening and preventive programs to reduce cancer risk 
  • Summarise a Patient-centred approach to tailored information and care that is responsive to people’s individual needs and preferences 

Register now >

Please feel free to share this webinar to your networks using the social media tile and flyer above.

 Alternatively, you can also reshare our social media posts:  

 

January 2024 news and updates

 

Towards Tomorrow – BreastScreen Australia Conference 2024 

BreastScreen Australia conference will bring togethers clinician, managers and consumers for the first time since 2018. Register now! 

BreastScreen Australian Conference Brochure

Registration is now open for the 2024 BreastScreen Australia conference, to be held 13th - 15th March 2024 in Canberra. 

An exciting array of local, national and international speakers will make this conference a must attend for anyone interested in the early detection of Breast Cancer, health promotion and equity of access for screening. 

Program and registration available at breastscreenconference2024.com.au.

2023 Event Alerts

2023 Event Alerts

Online Webinar: New Guidelines for Liver Cancer Surveillance in high-risk patients 

Image of the Clinical practice guidelines for hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance for people at high risk in Australia webpage

Join Associate Professor Eleonora Feletto, Dr Nicole Allard, Dr Joachim Worthington and Amanda McAtamney as they provide an overview of Liver Cancer and Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) Surveillance guidelines in an informative one-hour webinar on 21 November 2023.

The session will also cover the Cost-effectiveness of HCC surveillance and dissemination and implementation of HCC Guidelines, including recommendations for HCC Surveillance in people with Hepatitis B and priority populations. 

To find out more and register for this webinar, please click here

Free Webinar: Voluntary assisted dying – 16 October 2023

Image: senior man holding hand of female nurse in hospital room

From 28 November 2023, eligible people will have the choice to access voluntary assisted dying in NSW.

General Practitioners will need to understand their obligations and responsibilities under the voluntary assisted dying legislation to enable them to support their patients to access voluntary assisted dying when it becomes available. 

Join Dr Kerry Chant, Chief Health Officer NSW Ministry of Health, Dr Wade Stedman Voluntary Assisted Dying Clinical Lead NSW Health and Dr Ramanan Chandrabalan, Visiting Medical Officer with NSW Voluntary Assisted Dying Care Navigator Service for an engaging and informative webinar. 

The learning outcomes for this webinar are: 

  • Describe the process of becoming a voluntary assisted dying practitioner 
  • Outline how voluntary assisted dying services such as the Care Navigator Service can be accessed 
  • Outline the rights and responsibilities of practitioners 

This webinar equates to one hour of CPD activity.

Register for this free event >

This webinar is the second in the series, you can also view the Introduction to voluntary assisted dying recording.

2023 Reporting for Better Cancer Outcomes (RBCO) Program Primary Health Care Report Out Now  

New South Wales Primary Health Networks (PHNs) will receive the 2023 Reporting for Better Cancer Outcomes (RBCO) Program Primary Health Care Report in August. 

An image of the RBCO report

The primary health care sector is fundamental in the prevention, early detection, and management of cancer. The 2023 Reporting for Better Cancer Outcomes (RBCO) Primary Health Care Report provides tailored information to support understanding of the cancer control efforts by Primary Care Providers and the Primary Health Networks. The report includes information on cancer prevention, screening, the five most common cancers, and Cancer Plan ‘focus populations’.

The RBCO Program supports continuous improvement in cancer services and patient outcomes at a local level by identifying variation in cancer control through analysis of cancer data and engagement with the cancer health system. PHN consultation has suggested that information reported as part of the RBCO Program can be used by PHNs in planning, system integration projects and clinical and community engagement. 

NAIDOC Week and 715 Indigenous Health Check for Aboriginal patients 

 

An elderly Aboriginal couple sit on the front porch talking and laughing.

National NAIDOC Week celebrations will be held from 2-9 July 2023. This year’s theme is For Our Elders, which recognises the important role of Elders and their prominent place in Aboriginal communities and families to share cultural knowledge, nurturing ways, advocacy and teachings. 

 NAIDOC Week is a great opportunity to provide 715 Indigenous Health Checks to any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients who attend your practice. 

The 715 Indigenous Health Check offers support for preventive healthcare and improves a patient’s health, including physical, psychological and social functions. 

The 715 Indigenous Health Check must include the following elements: 

(a) Information collection, including taking a patient history and undertaking examinations and investigations as required. 

(b) Making an overall assessment of the patient. 

(c) Recommending appropriate interventions. 

(d) Providing advice and information to the patient. 

(e) Keeping a record of the health assessment, and offering the patient, and/or patient's carer, a written report about the health assessment with recommendations about matters covered by the health assessment. 

(f) Offering the patient's carer (if any, and if the general practitioner considers it appropriate and the patient agrees) a copy of the report or extracts of the report relevant to the carer.  

If, after receiving this health assessment, a patient who is aged between 15 to 55 is identified as having a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as determined by the Australian Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment Tool, the general practitioner may refer that person to a subsidised lifestyle modification program, along with other possible strategies to improve the health status of the patient. 

View more information on 715 assessments >

 

Multicultural Primary Care Cancer Forum recording now available 

 

An image from the 2023 Multicultural Primary Care Cancer Forum

The Cancer Institute NSW (the Institute) recently partnered with Hunter New England and Central Coast PHN and the Hunter New England Local Health District to present a collaborative event discussing pathways to improve cancer outcomes for patients from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.

More than 55 people attended the forum on 17 May, which featured presentations from many speakers, including the Institute’s Chief Executive Officer Professor Tracey O’Brien, Dr Lee Fong, Dr Tom Goodsall, and Professor Christine Paul. 

Topics of discussion included bowel cancer prevention, smoking and cancer among CALD communities, and supporting people affected by cancer.

View the recording of the event >

Register for the Multicultural Primary Care Cancer Forum 

 

Sheetal Challam from the Cancer Institute NSW speaking at the Multicultural cancer forum

The Cancer Institute NSW has partnered with the Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network and the Hunter New England Local Health District to bring you this education event.

The Multicultural Primary Care Cancer Forum will discuss pathways to improve cancer outcomes for patients from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.  

Topics will include bowel cancer prevention, supporting people affected by cancer, smoking and cancer among CALD communities.

This is for GPs, Practice Nurses and Aboriginal Health Practitioners/Workers, Allied Health Professionals and Practice Managers. 

It will be held on Wednesday 17 May, with registration from 6pm for a 6:30pm start, at Noah’s on the Beach, 29 Zaara Street, Newcastle East. Dinner will be provided. 

RSVP: Please click here to register 

 

Free webinar:  Cancer management of older Australians 

Cancer Conversations is an after-hours online forum for health professionals, featuring topics of interest related to cancer treatment and care.
 

A female health professionals working at a desktop computer

The first Cancer Conversations this year is available as a recording, and it discusses the state of cancer management in older people. 

Facilitator, Professor Sanchia Aranda, and guest speakers Dr Michael Krasovitsky, Dr Shriya Mahatme, Gauri Godbole and Dr Polly Dufton, explored the importance of collaborative and holistic care, nurse-led assessments, and funding models.

We encourage you to join the next Cancer Conversation forum, which will have an equity focus on access to treatment and clinical trials, on 26 June 2023 at 7pm.

Information about this year’s Cancer Conversations is available on the eviQ Education webpage.

Harmony Week: How does your culture impact your practice?

 

GP sitting with patient

Harmony Week is a time to reflect on how you work with patients from different cultural backgrounds. Culturally responsive care is an important part of providing healthcare, as it can improve health outcomes and reduce inequity for marginalised groups in Australia.

Research shows that showing cultural sensitivity and understanding for patients of diverse cultures reduces barriers to cancer screening.

Harmony Week is celebrated between 20–26 March in Australia. The week includes the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March. 

New South Wales has a rich mix of cultural backgrounds and heritage, with many people living in the state born overseas. The proportion of Australian residents that are born overseas (first generation) or have a parent born overseas (second generation) has increased above 50 per cent. 

Australia’s Indigenous heritage is reflected in the more than 150 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages spoken in 2021.[1]

To provide culturally responsive care to patients of different backgrounds and cultures, it’s important to “reflect on your own background, beliefs, values and lifestyle. Consider how they affect your thoughts and perceptions of the world”, and “adopt practices that show respect for specific cultural backgrounds.” [2]

“Services without a culturally sensitive environment” create a systemic barrier to cervical screening participation, according to the National Cervical Screening Program.[3]  

While feeling understood and supported by healthcare providers was an important factor in addressing barriers to breast screening in diverse cultural groups.[4]

For more information on Culturally Responsive Health Care, please see below:

References:

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Government, 2021 Census (2022),  https://www.abs.gov.au/census

2. Agency for Clinical Innovation, NSW Government, Consumer enablement guide (2023)  Culturally responsive practice | Consumer Enablement Guide (nsw.gov.au).

3. Department of Health and Aged Care, Australian Government. Healthcare system and provider related barriers (2022),  Healthcare system and provider related barriers | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care

4. O'Hara J, McPhee C, Dodson S, Cooper A, Wildey C, Hawkins M, Fulton A, Pridmore V, Cuevas V, Scanlon M, Livingston PM, Osborne RH, Beauchamp A. Barriers to Breast Cancer Screening among Diverse Cultural Groups in Melbourne, Australia. Int J Environ Res Public Health. (2018) 7;15(8):1677. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15081677. PMID: 30087259; PMCID: PMC6121647.

 

Primary Care Symposium videos: June 2022

The Cancer Institute NSW hosted the Primary Care Cancer Control Symposium on 2 June 2022. 
 

Primary Care Symposium

The symposium, titled Data Innovation and reform: rethinking Cancer Control in Primary Care brought together primary care providers, primary health networks, local health district staff, community organisations and other service providers to hear about data innovation and reform. The focus presentation centred on colorectal cancer and the importance of primary care in cancer control. 

The symposium also featured presentations showcasing projects from across NSW PHNs focussing on cancer screening quality improvement, Aboriginal community education and utilising data to drive change in primary care. 

The presentations are listed below:

  • NSW Cancer Plan 2022-2027
  • Australia’s Primary Health Care 10-year plan
  • Reporting for Better Cancer Outcomes Report: Primary Health Networks
  • Launch: Primary Care Cancer Control Quality Improvement Toolkit
  • Workshop: Utilising data for program design and development
  • In focus: Colorectal Cancer

To access the videos, please visit the Symposium event page >

2022 Event Alerts

2022 Event Alerts

Free Webinar:  Cancer conversations – Lung cancer screening 

Dr Kwun Fong

Join Cancer Institute NSW’s latest Cancer Conversations event on Tuesday 4 October at 7pm.

Lung cancer has a devastating impact on the lives of many Australian's and diagnosis is critical to improve outcomes.  In NSW, more than 4,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year. Lung cancer is the leading cause of all cancer deaths in NSW.

We have a great line-up of experts excited to share their knowledge and perspectives on the clinical environment for lung cancer screening. 

Speakers Include:  

  • Professor Dorothy Keefe PSM MD - Chief Executive Officer, Cancer Australia 
  • Professor Kwun Fong - Thoracic and Sleep Physician, The Prince Charles Hospital 
  • Clinical Associate Professor Rowena Ivers - General Practitioner and Chair of Phase 3 Graduate Medicine, University of Wollongong 
  • Doctor Carolyn Ee - General Practitioner 

Date: Tuesday, 4 October 2022 
Time: 7pm – 8pm 
Cost: Free 

Register in advance for this webinar today.   

Cancer conversations is an after-hours online forum for health professionals discussing topics of interest related to cancer treatment and care.   

Reminder: Free Webinar – Cervical Screening in General Practice

Cervical Self-Collection


From 1 July 2022, the National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) will expand Cervical Screening Test options, offering self-collection as a choice to all people participating in cervical screening. 

These changes mean that healthcare providers may start to see an increase in the volume of requests from patients to use self-collection as an option for their Cervical Screening Test.


On Tuesday 12 July the Cancer Institute NSW and Royal College of General Practitioners are partnering in a one-hour webinar about the change to the self-collection policy and education on the clinical management of women at intermediate risk in the National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP).

Recent evidence demonstrates a Cervical Screening Test using a self-collected vaginal sample is as accurate as a clinician-collected sample taken from the cervix during a speculum examination. The National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) will be expanding screening sample collection options from 1 July 2022, meaning that self-collection will be available as a choice to all people participating in cervical screening who are due or overdue.

Date: Tuesday 12 July 2022
Time: 7pm –to 8pm
Cost: FREE
Presenter: Dr Clare Boerma, Associate Medical Director at Family Planning NSW and GP
Register HERE

Free Webinar: Cancer conversations - the implications of the shift to virtual care

Cancer Conversations

Join Cancer Institute NSW’s upcoming Cancer Conversations event on Tuesday 7 June at 7:00 pm. This one-hour webinar will explore the shift to virtual care and the implications this has for people with cancer and their treatment teams. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has quickly normalised virtual care across the globe. Virtual care is an integral part of a sustainable health system that delivers outcomes that matter to patients. Where clinically appropriate, virtual care is a safe, effective and a valuable way to support patient and family-centred care. This Cancer Conversations webinar will provide insights on this new way of working and what it means for cancer care.

Date: Tuesday 7 June 2022
Time: 7pm - 8pm
Cost: FREE
Register HERE

Cancer conversations is an after-hours online forum for health professionals discussing topics of interest related to cancer treatment and care. 

For more information about the webinar, contact: Tia Moeke Tia.Moeke@health.nsw.gov.au

Free Webinar: Cervical Screening in General Practice

GP cervical screening


Free Webinar: Cervical Screening in General Practice: self-collection eligibility policy change and the intermediate risk pathway.

The Cancer Institute NSW and Royal College of General Practitioners are partnering in a one-hour webinar about the change to the self-collection policy and education on the clinical management of women at intermediate risk in the National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP).


Recent evidence demonstrates a Cervical Screening Test using a self-collected vaginal sample is as accurate as a clinician-collected sample taken from the cervix during a speculum examination. The National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) will be expanding screening sample collection options from 1 July 2022, meaning that self-collection will be available as a choice to all people participating in cervical screening who are due or overdue.

Date: Tuesday 12 July 2022
Time: 7pm - 8pm
Cost: FREE
Presenter: Dr Clare Boerma, Associate Medical Director at Family Planning NSW and GP
Register HERE

Cancer Conversations: Emerging treatments and care in hepatocellular carcinoma

Dr Jacob George

Join Cancer Institute NSW’s latest Cancer Conversations event, on Tuesday 5 April at 7 pm. This one-hour webinar will discuss prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and care in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). 

HCC is the most common type of primary liver cancer in adults. Primary liver cancer has recently become one of the top ten causes of cancer death in Australia. In 2021, it is estimated that 2832 people in Australia were diagnosed with liver cancer. Alarmingly, the five-year survival rate for liver cancer is 20%.


We have a great line-up of experts excited to share their knowledge and perspectives on the importance of assessment in primary care, best detection methods and emerging evidence in relation to HCC.

Speakers include Professor Jacob George, A/Professor Simone Strasser, Dr Eleonora Feletto, Kindness Bondezi and Dr Fred Leung

Date: Tuesday 5 April 2022
Time: 7pm - 8pm
Cost: FREE
Register HERE

For more detailed information including speaker bios, visit our Cancer Conversations page.

Cancer conversations is an after-hours online forum for health professionals discussing topics of interest related to cancer treatment and care. 

For more information about the webinar, contact: Tia Moeke Tia.Moeke@health.nsw.gov.au

NSW Cancer Research Education Statewide Webinars

The next NSW Cancer Research Education Statewide Webinar delivered by Sydney Cancer Partners, NSW Regional Health Partners, and the Mardiulu Budyari Gumal (SPHERE) Cancer CAG is coming up on Tues 15 March.

Speakers include Prof Don Nutbeam, A/Prof Nicole Rankin, Prof Chris Paul, and A/Prof Natalie Taylor, who will discuss "Translating Research Into System-wide Practice". 

Date: Tuesday 15 March
Time: 12pm - 1pm
Register HERE