You may need the Peter Mac @ Home service for a brief time after surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. A nurse from our service will visit you at home (or school/workplace) to provide this care. The PM@H service is free of charge and includes dressing and wound care supplies. Our PM@H cancer nurses are available throughout the year, including public holidays.
PM@H offers a range of services including nursing assessment and care, related to your cancer treatment:
Acute wound management
Central line management- looking after ports/PICC (Peripherally Inserted Central Venous Catheter), Hickmans, and so on
Injections
Radiation therapy reaction skin care
Drain tube management
Some forms of chemotherapy and other intravenous (into the vein) infusions
Vacuum-assisted wound management (VAC Therapy)
Care after surgery
Our nurses can be on hand to answer your questions about treatment and side effects. We work with your treating team and keep them up-to-date with your situation.
If you would like to access the service, your specialist, nurse coordinator or member of your treating team can organise a referral. If you meet the criteria for our service, we will book your visits and a nurse will:
Call you on the morning of a planned visit to let you know the approximate time of arrival. Please call us on (03) 8559 6800 if you have not received this call by 11am. A nurse who is on a later shift may see you. If this is the case, you will not receive a call until 2pm
Receive professional and confidential care that respects your culture, beliefs and needs
Refuse treatment and/or withdraw from services provided at any time
Involve an advocate of your choice (someone to support and/or speak for you) during your care
Please supply up-to-date information and honest feedback to your visiting nurse. This will ensure we can meet your needs. We ask you to create a safe environment for our nurses to supply care. This means no smoking during a visit, and making sure the location is free of clutter for the visit.
There may be a time when a visiting Peter Mac @ Home nurse finds you are too unwell to stay at home. You may need immediate medical attention. Symptoms of this include fever, chills, bleeding, and if you feel unwell. This often requires that we call an ambulance at your expense. Please ensure you have ambulance cover.