16 May 2012:
The NZNO Cancer Nurses Section endorses the initiative announced on the 14 May 2012 by Prime Minister John Key and Health Minister Tony Ryall of employing more cancer care coordinators across New Zealand.
NZNO Cancer Nurses Section chair Wendy Thomas says, “This expansion of advanced nursing roles in patients’ journeys will contribute significantly to the delivery of quality cancer care for patients who often have complex needs. As the joint announcement notes - the new dedicated cancer nurses will act as a single point of contact and assist patients and their families across different parts of the health service. This expands what is already happening in parts of the country and feedback from patients has been fantastic.”
“New Zealand has only a handful of specialist nurses in these positions at present. Increasing Cancer Nurse Coordinators will benefit patient care, as experience in the United Kingdom, Canada and USA and Australia has shown. This will be a win-win situation for everyone involved. Patients will receive improved quality care and the health system will see a reduction in use of resources. Evaluation of the service will identify the benefits and areas that require improvement.”
For background on overseas experience, see report on Frontier Economics Research: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Documents/AboutUs/Commissioners/ClinicalNurseSpecialistsAnEvidenceReview2011.pdf
and the NSW Cancer Institute, cancer services evaluation 2011: http://www.cancerinstitute.org.au/publications/i/evaluation-of-the-cancer-services-infrastructure-support-program