You asked, we listened
07 December 2023
Peter Mac's Patient Experience Strategic Plan and Supporting Carers Strategy were both launched a year ago - two important documents developed in conjuction with our consumers.
During their development, we identified four Consumer Priority Areas that needed attention. These are:
- Navigating Your Cancer Experience
- Personalising Information and Communication
- Building Capability
- Building Support Networks
Over the past year, teams across Peter Mac have been working on key improvement projects which were presented at a feedback event in Peter Mac's Wellbeing Centre this week. We're pleased to share that information with you below.
Navigating Your Cancer Experience
During our Patient Parliament feedback events, the main challenge consumers expressed was difficulty navigating their cancer experience. People expressed that they were overwhelmed by the amount of new information, services and decisions that came with a cancer diagnosis.
With wide consultation and input from consumers, we have developed our wonderful new Welcome Information Pack. This is available in 6 languages and contains essential information for new patients. It is an important improvement in helping people get started on their cancer journey, which we know can be a very scary and confusing time.
We also made improvements in the digital space with the redevelopment of Peter Mac’s website, which was launched in July. The new format is easier to navigate and speaks directly to patients, carers and the broader community.
For the new website we developed four new cancer education videos designed to help navigate the cancer journey. These videos are:
- what cancer is and what might happen in a cancer journey
- how to access our services and support
- ways to support your mental health
- support for carers
There are also videos created on the website on preparing for surgery and preparing for head and neck radiotherapy, and there is work underway to create more videos which will talk about the patient journey and your wellbeing.
Personalising Information and Communication
To help towards the consumer priority area of Personalising Information and Communication, there has been a lot of work happening to improve the Health Hub patient portal, a digital platform containing all the key information relating to a patient's care.
We've been working to raise awareness of Health Hub so that more people are aware of its benefits, and making more information available such as timely test results and appointment schedules. Plus, we've upskilled more staff to assist patients in signing up.
We're also in the process of rolling out a new Patient and Carer Support Service, which will be a service located in the main foyer at Peter Mac. Staffed by trained consumers and staff, it will assist patients and carers to navigate Peter Mac services and help them access their information through Health Hub. We'll have more information on this soon.
Building Capability
Another key priority area that our consumers told us we need to improve was Building Capability. They want to be genuine participants in discussions about their care and to be asked about their needs and treated as an individual.
To help with this we developed the Your Thoughts Matter program in conjunction with consumers. It's an evidence-based, person-centred communications training program for all staff, designed to help ensure we’re recognising and understanding what matters most to every individual. We have now trained more than 1100 Peter Mac staff.
In the last month we have also launched the Standing Up for Safety staff training program to promote a culture of speaking up, up-skilling our people in the use of common language and improving professional accountability.
Consumers told us they wanted better access to services to help with their mental health, particularly regarding sleep and fear of cancer recurrence. Patients can now access two Peter Mac developed resources - the Can-Sleep program and the Cancer Mind Care.
Consumers also wanted more information about services and information at the end of treatment, including late-effects of cancer treatment and health and lifestyle information.
We have worked closely with the Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre to deliver a suite of information for patients through the Peter Mac website on a range of topics with input of cancer survivors who have shared their stories.
We also have our monthly information sessions run by our Peter Mac Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists on helping manage fatigue, cognition, exercise and lymphoedema.
Building Support Networks
Finally, the other key priority area that our consumers highlighted as important and needing improvement is Building Support Networks.
This is where our Supporting Carers Strategy fits in - aiming to better support the carers and families who are directly impacted when their loved one has cancer.
We have established a Carer Support Program, that includes our Carer Support Officer and a dedicated carer psychologist, as well as other support activities for carers such as the support group Carers Circle.
Work is also underway for a Peer Navigation Support Program that will have peer volunteers who will leverage their own lived cancer experiences to respond to patients’ non-medical needs by facilitating access to high-quality information and providing emotional support. We are collaborating with Northern Health, who have experience in this area, to develop training modules for our peer volunteers.
We also have a number of peer support services, linking up patients and carers to share information and support each other. These include the Lung Cancer Support Group, Head & Neck Cancer Support and Men’s Shed.
Continuing our commitment to consumers
We have a lot to celebrate since the implementation of our strategies 12-months ago, and we're continuing with a lot of work in this space.
We are planning our next Patient Parliament in June 2024, where we will again be calling on consumers to meet with us and provide feedback on what else we can do to help improve the cancer care experience.
A big thank you to all the consumers, Peter Mac staff and volunteers who have contributed to the programs and activities we've launched to improve the patient experience.
Watch the speeches from Tuesday's feedback event below.