Peter Mac is looking for people who have been affected by cancer (patients, carers and families) to join our Consumer Register.
As a member of our Consumer Register, you will help inform decisions about how our cancer services and research are developed, and how they can be improved.
To participate, you don’t need any special experience – we provide training and support.
We’re looking for a broad range of people with different backgrounds, life experiences, and experiences of cancer. If this sounds like an interesting opportunity, we would love to hear from you.
Apply to join the Consumer Register
About the Peter Mac Consumer Register
The Peter Mac Consumer Register is a diverse group of community members who have all said they are happy to play a role in improving our cancer research and care.
Consumer Register members are invited to participate in focus groups, consultations, project collaborations, education activities or committees. Their role is to share their experiences and perspectives so that we can make more informed decisions about which work we should do, and how we should do it. The goal is always to improve our cancer care and research for people impacted by cancer.
We look for Consumer Register members who:
- are interested in helping to improve our cancer care and research
- have experienced cancer themselves, or have experience as a carer or family member of a person with cancer
- are able to consider a broad range of cancer experiences and perspectives as well as their own
- are able to provide feedback to staff, and to talk about cancer experiences (including their own)
- Are aged 16 years or older.
You do not need to visit Peter Mac to participate (as most activities can happen via Zoom).
Peter Mac will provide training and support to help you undertake the role.
How the Consumer Register works
We send a regular email newsletter to our Consumer Register members letting them know about new projects and committees that are looking for Consumer Register member participation. Our members select projects they feel passionate about and that work well with their other commitments. The time commitment varies but can be as little as an hour every few months.
While Consumer Register members volunteer their time, they are also eligible for a gift card as a token of thanks for their contribution.
Many members tell us that this is a rewarding and empowering way to use their experience of cancer to help others.
Examples of how you could be involved
By joining the Peter Mac Consumer Register you could be involved in a broad range of activities, such as:
- Participating in a focus group
- Sharing your stories and experiences to help us understand more about patient and carer experiences
- Championing health literacy and working together to ensure patient and/or public facing material is easily understood, accessible and applicable
- Meeting with a researcher to help them understand more about what it’s like to have your type of cancer and what’s important to you in their research
- Becoming part of a hospital committee or work group
- Contributing to planning, reviewing and evaluating our services
- Helping us to develop important strategies, like our Patient Experience Strategic Plan or our Supporting Carers Strategy
- Assisting with staff education and training
- Speaking to staff at events
Position description
A detailed overview of this volunteer role is available in the position description
The process for getting involved
The process looks like this:
- Register your interest.
- You will be invited to apply to join our Consumer Register – this involves filling in a short form with information about your experiences of cancer and your interests and agreeing to our privacy statement and code of conduct.
- We will contact you for a short, informal interview.
- You will be asked to complete a police check (noting that in many cases, people with a police record may still be able to participate).
- When your application is approved, you will be provided training.
- You will receive our regular newsletter with news, events, and information about projects and committees that are looking for Consumer Register members to participate.
- When you see a project in the newsletter that looks like a good fit for you, you can express interest in joining that project.
- When you’re matched on a project, our Consumer Engagement team will support you to get started.
Frequently asked questions
Ready to get involved? Register your interest now