About the VICS
Victoria’s cancer service improvement network
The cancer services improvement network for the state of Victoria (Australia) comprises 9 Integrated Cancer Services (ICS), each a partnership of health services that provide care to Victorians affected by cancer. Together, this statewide network of more than 120 health services is called the Victorian Integrated Cancer Services (VICS). It is a core mechanism for the implementation of the Victorian Cancer Plan, including consistent adoption of Australia’s Optimal Cancer Care Pathways.
Our vision
The VICS
Improving patient experiences and outcomes by connecting cancer care and driving best practice
Our mission
We work to promote:
- system integration across structural boundaries
- collaborative approaches to evidence-based service development
- quality improvement at the local level to deliver better patient outcomes.
We build relationships between healthcare providers and other cancer care stakeholders to develop, implement, and evaluate initiatives that improve how Victoria’s health services provide care and support to people affected by cancer.
Cancer policy in Victoria
The Victorian Cancer Plan identifies priorities to prevent cancer, increase survival, improve the experience of the cancer treatment and care system, and achieve equitable outcomes for all Victorians with cancer. The Victorian Government prepares a cancer plan every 4 years. The 2020–2024 plan establishes the critical role of the VICS as the state’s cancer improvement network, and the VICS Optimal Care Summits (formerly the Victorian Tumour Summits) as the state’s program to identify and address unwarranted variations in clinical practice and cancer outcomes.
The VICS support and monitor implementation and performance, at statewide and local levels, of 2 key mechanisms that underpin the Victorian Cancer Plan: Optimal Care Pathways (OCPs) and multidisciplinary team meeting (MDM) quality.
Many other organisations, agencies, and partnerships also support the Victorian Cancer Plan in different ways. The VICS work to connect these contributors with one another, with evidence to better inform service improvements, and with stakeholders in our shared goals – particularly people affected by cancer.