VICS Optimal Care Summits
The VICS Optimal Care Summits program delivers strategic consultation, multidisciplinary engagement, data and information analysis, and reporting to examine tumour-specific patterns of cancer care and identify unwarranted variations in clinical practice and cancer outcomes, and priority activities to address them.
About the program
This statewide program is the mechanism in the Victorian Cancer Plan 2024–2028 (PDF) to agree priorities for reducing unwarranted variations in cancer care and outcomes. As such, the program supports implementation of Australia’s Optimal Care Pathways (OCPs) for cancer. Evidence, engagement findings, and statewide data are provided for benchmarking against OCP guidelines and between different geographic regions of Victoria.
The program delivers 2–3 consultations per year, each focussing on a specific area of cancer care. Multidisciplinary clinician and stakeholder consultation and engagement over several months, on each topic, leads up to a live ‘summit’ event.
VICS Optimal Care Summits
Consultation process
Each consultation focuses on a specific area of cancer care, and comprises several months of engagement with multidisciplinary stakeholders.
Impacts
Recommendations from these consultations, implemented across Victoria with the support of the VICS, have improved patient experiences and outcomes.
Meet the team
The VICS Optimal Care Summits program and team are administered by the North Eastern Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service (NEMICS) on behalf of the VICS.
An unwarranted variation is a difference in access and use of health services – or in patient outcomes – that cannot be explained by differences in patients’ illness, needs, or preferences. That is, a chance to improve quality and equity of care.
