According to the Cancer Council, one in two Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85. For patients and their families, receiving a cancer diagnosis can be a terrifying, confusing and isolating time.
St John of God Murdoch Hospital is establishing a new Clinical Nurse Consultant for Cancer Services, so that the hospital can offer patients and their families’ crucial support from diagnosis and throughout the cancer journey. Marie Condon (pictured above, right) is the newly appointed Clinical Nurse Consultant, thanks to generous donor support.
This position, which was only made possible through a compassionate gift from a grateful hospital patient, will enable the hospital to provide comprehensive cancer support services, coordinating the existing Clinical Nurse Specialist roles for prostate, breast and colorectal cancer, and also providing end-to-end support for all patients diagnosed with other types of cancer. This provides patients with essential continuity of care throughout their cancer journey.
The Clinical Nurse Consultant will also build an important relationship with each patient they support, becoming a trusted, consistent and knowledgeable point of contact for the patient and their family.
The position will support St John of God Murdoch Hospital’s existing oncology team, including oncologists, surgeons, Cancer Centre caregivers and oncology researchers.
There is also potential for the Clinical Nurse Consultant to provide and capture extensive data that can contribute to ground-breaking and transformational national research across different cancer types.
St John of God Health Care believes in providing compassionate and holistic care for both patients and their families throughout the cancer journey, and thanks to generous donor funding, this position will allow us to do that in a coordinated way that will provide vital care and support at a time where people need it most.