In 2021 Austin Health established Victoria’s first statewide magnetic resonance linear accelerator (MR Linac) radiotherapy service through funding from the Victorian state government. This specialized oncology service was established to provide equitable access for all Victorians to the latest state of the art radiation therapy treatment. The establishment of a unique clinical nurse consultant-care coordinator (CNCCC) role was introduced in to the statewide MR Linac service to ensure comprehensive care to all patients.
The MR Linac multidisciplinary team includes radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, medical physicists, MRI radiographers, administration staff, a range of allied health professionals and the role of a CNCCC. While establishing patient care pathways to encompass the wider Victorian community, challenges and gaps were identified which led to the creation of guidelines specific to the statewide service. With little resources to compare to, these tools were developed from working collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team.
The shortfall of existing departmental workflows to include the CNCCC role as a primary stakeholder proved challenging at times and required increased visibility from the CNCCC. In order to meet the requirements of this CNCCC role and the needs of patients across Victoria, allied health staffing, supportive care and discharge planning were identified as areas to focus on as a way of developing new guidelines.
As this new statewide service continues to expand, this CNCCC role has driven the need for improved patient workflows, new patient resources and improved discharge planning in order to provide comprehensive care for patients across Victoria. In order to further develop the role of the CNCCC in this statewide service, it will require ongoing review of guidelines and processes in collaboration with the entire MR Linac team on a regular basis.