About the program
Since November 2023, we have invested $193 million to establish a new Australian Cancer Nursing and Navigation Program.
The program is helping to ensure all people affected by cancer have access to care that is:
- high quality
- culturally safe
- across all Australian locations
- for all cancer types.
The program is free to access and helps guide families, friends, and carers to support patients to navigate the health system.
The program has multiple components including:
- Cancer Navigation Services
- Cancer Care Nursing Services
- Specialist Support Services
Program components
The Cancer Navigation Service
Cancer Council Australia is leading delivery of a Cancer Navigation Service. The navigation service connects people to information and support for any cancer, depending on their needs. This may include referrals to multidisciplinary specialist support service teams and other appropriate supports. The navigation service includes improvements to Cancer Council Australia’s 13 11 20 phone line and digital offerings. The navigation service supports patients, families, carers, and friends.
Canteen is also collaborating with Camp Quality and Redkite to deliver cancer navigation and counselling services through the Cancer Hub. The Cancer Hub supports families with children or young people aged 0-25 who are impacted by cancer.
Cancer care nurse service
The McGrath Foundation is leading delivery of a new Cancer Care Nurse Service. The service is delivering around 250 Commonwealth-funded cancer care nurses in health and hospital services across Australia by the end of 2026-27. This is in addition to the existing Commonwealth-funded prostate cancer nurses that the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) deliver.
This model aims to ensure those without access to disease-specific nurses can still obtain the care and support they need, with nurses being trained with the skills and knowledge to work across multiple cancer types.
Specialist support services
We are funding 12 Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) to deliver disease-specific support services. Specialist Support Services provide information, support and advice tailored to the unique needs of people with particular cancer types. Support is available to patients, families, carers, and friends. Health professionals may also access the service for disease-specific advice.
The 12 NGOs currently funded under the Specialist Support Service are:
- BCNA
- Bowel
- HANCA
- Leukaemia
- Lung
- Liver
- Melanoma
- NECA
- OCA
- Prostate
- Pancare
- RCA
Support for cancers not listed above are available through the Cancer Navigation Services and McGrath Cancer Care Nurses, as outlined above. There are a number of other non-government organisations providing disease-specific or palliative care supports. Cancer Council can assist with finding the right supports for your needs.
Program Integration
All 3 streams are designed to connect and integrate:
- with each other
- the broader health care system
People impacted by cancer may connect directly with these services or via a health professional.
For more information on how to access support or refer a patient to these services, please contact the relevant service. If you are not sure what support you require or where to find support, please contact the Cancer Council.
Cancer Patient Support Program
We have also invested $16.5 million to establish a Cancer Patient Support Program. This program will provide:
- better outcomes for patients in priority populations
- increased equity across cancer types.
This Program is funded until 2026-27, with 17 discrete projects funded to date across various organisations. Projects range from development of patient resources and awareness raising activities through to health care professional education programs.