Quality of Care Report - Ballarat Health Services

Oncology ServicesFour years ago when Dr Kate Hamiltonstarted working at Ballarat HealthServices as the full-time oncologist, sheinherited a “minimal public service”.Dr Hamilton set about building aservice to meet the needs of thepatients, including an inpatient serviceand a day oncology unit, both at theBase Hospital. When she first beganher clinics - she holds four each week -in 2004, Dr Hamilton was seeing oneor two patients each time. Now, shesees 20 patients each clinic, or 80patients a week. Dr Hamilton explainsthe reasons for the increase in demandin Ballarat;• Ageing population, the incidence ofcancer is rising across Australia,mainly linked to our ageingpopulation. The National CancerPrevention Policy 2007-2009estimates cancer cases will rise by 30per cent in the next five years.“People are living longer andthe diseases that used to kill them,such as heart attacks, strokes anddiabetes, we are better able tocontrol, allowing them to get cancersthey may have never lived longenough to develop before”.• BHS also has the only publiconcology service between Meltonand the South Australian border,with a growth of 20 per cent a yearover the last four year. The pressureon the service is enormous as DrHamilton is the only full-timeoncologist with one part-time cancerspecialist and an advanced trainee.The oncology nursing staff are alsokept extremely busy. A second fulltimeoncologist has been recruitedand is due to commence in late2008.• Improved treatments for manycancers now means patients whopreviously wouldn’t have benefitedfrom treatment can access theservice. There is a wider range ofoptions, for example, there are nowa few different chemotherapytreatments for lung cancer. Our aimis to provide the best quality of carefor people who come through thedoor.Ballarat Health Services medical oncologist Kate Hamilton with breast cancer survivor ChristineGlare. BHS currently has 29 patients enrolled in clinical trials, with eight studies open in oncology.• Clinical research results have shownthat adjuvant chemotherapy, whichmops up an rogue cancer cells leftbehind from initial cancer operations,can help prevent the diseaserecurring, especially in breast, boweland lung cancers. This means morepatients are now getting preventativetreatment.• The oncology program is a jointeffort involving doctors, nursingstaff, social workers and pharmacy.The only patients referred toMelbourne are acute leukaemia andsarcoma cases, which need highlyspecialised treatment. BHS offer acomprehensive service for ourpatients, we also have a palliativecare service and an excellentradiotherapy service.23Ballarat Health Services Quality of Care Report 2007-08