Key achievements 2011–2015
This NSW Cancer Plan builds on the achievements of previous cancer plans. Find out about the many successful initiatives that have been developed as a result of the NSW Cancer Plan 2011–2015.
See the current NSW Cancer Plan performance index.
Collaboration
- Engaged people affected by cancer in all aspects of the Cancer Institute NSW's work.
- Implemented the NSW Skin Cancer Prevention Strategy 2012–2015 which co-ordinated endeavours across 13 organisations and supported the ban on cosmetic use of commercial solaria in December 2014.
- Held annual meetings with Local Health Districts and Medicare Locals to report on cancer service delivery and benchmark performance across the state.
- Collaborated with clinicians and health agencies to understand variation in cancer outcomes and drive system improvement.
Facilitation
- Facilitated access to BreastScreen NSW by Aboriginal women, which has increased participation from 31.4 per cent in 2009–2010 to 37.4 per cent in 2014–2015.
- Encouraged breast cancer screening participation by women from culturally and linguistically diverse communities which has resulted in a participation rate of 45.0 per cent.
- Developed the Aboriginal Quitline service which has gained credibility in the community, as demonstrated by a 32.0 per cent increase in the calls between 2012–2013 and 2013–2014.
- Enhanced the accessibility of the Arabic, Chinese and Vietnamese Quitlines.
- eviQ has now been endorsed by all Australian jurisdictions as the preferred resource for evidenced-based cancer treatments.
- Facilitated the sharing of research infrastructure across NSW to ensure equitable access and optimal use of investments in scientific equipment.
- Increased iCanQuit participation, with approximately 500,000 unique website visits in 2014–2015, an increase of 30 per cent from the previous year.
- Continued growth of Canrefer, with an average of 17,235 views per month in 2012–2015 and the listing of 223 hospitals and cancer services, 204 multidisciplinary teams and 1052 specialists.
- In 2015 95 per cent of the NSW population had access to a cancer centre within 100 kilometres of their residence. People in rural NSW received 85 per cent of their healthcare within their Local Health District.
Investment
- Initiated Translational Cancer Research Centres which have connected researchers, clinicians and health services (irrespective of administrative boundaries) to address key questions facing cancer-care in NSW.
- Developed Australia's first fully integrated statewide Clinical Cancer Registry to deliver data on the quality of cancer care in NSW.
- Increased the capacity of BreastScreen NSW services which now includes 45 BreastScreen NSW sites and 16 mobile vans (which visit more than 160 locations every two years).
- Invested in cancer research over a period of ten years, including for clinical trial support, making the Cancer Institute NSW the largest NSW based funder of cancer research.
- Strengthened public interest studies and doubled the number of people participating in clinical trials since 2004.
Education
- Developed the "Listen out for Lung Cancer" campaign, which has increased awareness of lung cancer symptoms without stigmatising smokers.
- Developed eviQ education modules that have been successfully implemented across NSW and nationally. For example, the Antineoplastic Drug Administration Course has been implemented in over 285 hospitals nationally.
- Developed “Cancer treatment side effects: a guide for Aboriginal Health Workers”, which provides practical information to assist in managing the potential side effects of cancer treatment.
- Developed a new range of patient education information materials for people undergoing cancer treatment which have been translated into 9 languages so far.
- Contributed to a decline in adult current smoking prevalence from 17.2 per cent in 2010 to 15.6 per cent in 2014 through the Cancer Institute NSW's tobacco control campaigns.
- Contributed to a decrease in young people’s preference for a suntan from 60.2 per cent in 2006–2007 to 41.4 per cent in 2013–2014.