The PICS Regional Outreach and Shared Care Program (ROSCP)
The PICS Regional Outreach and Shared Care Program (ROSCP) supports care as close to home as possible, when it is safe and appropriate to do so.
Approximately 30% of the children and adolescents with cancer treated by The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) and Monash Children’s Hospital (MCH) live in regional areas.
Some cancer treatments and supportive care can be delivered across Victoria, without needing to travel to Melbourne. The ROSCP helps to make this happen, when it is safe and appropriate to do so, by:
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- linking treating teams at RCH and MCH with participating health services across Victoria, and coordinating shared care clinics at their regional centres
- providing education and training to improve the skills and knowledge of staff who care for children and adolescents with cancer at regional centres.
Each of the 9 participating regional shared care centres has local nursing staff from their paediatric ward working with ROSCP and providing care for patients in the program. Treatment for childhood cancer remains directed by the oncology team at RCH or MCH.
The shared care model enabled by the ROSCP also supports the PICS Long Term Follow-up Program (LTFP) to provide clinics closer to home for Victorian childhood cancer survivors.
PICS thanks the Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation and the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre Trust Fund for their contributions in support of the ROSCP.
The benefits of having shared care closer to home
The ROSCP reduces the excess cancer burden on regional Victorians, supports local health services, and most importantly has a positive impact on quality of life for patients and their caregivers.
“For our family, having access to the Regional Outreach and Shared Care Program has allowed less disruption and more normality to our everyday lives. Having appointments closer to home and even nursing care at home, has meant less travelling, less accommodation costs and overall less stress for our whole family. Most importantly, it has meant less time apart for our family and that is what really matters.”
- Parent of a child with cancer
Regional Outreach and Shared Care Program FAQs
Click on the questions below to answer frequently asked questions about your journey with the ROSCP. You can also read the ROSCP brochure for patients, carers, and families for more information.
I don’t live near the RCH or MCH. When should I call my local hospital?
If your child is unwell and you are seeking advice, please call your team in the children’s cancer centre first, on the number you were provided.
However, reasons to call your local hospital may include:
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- to organise a tour for your child to meet the staff in the department to orientate to the ward and feel more comfortable with the surroundings (optional)
- after calling your oncology treating team, when advised to alert your regional health service that you need to present to the emergency department for review.
| Regional shared care centre | Paediatric ward phone number |
|---|---|
| Albury Wodonga Health (Albury) | (02) 6058 4404 |
| Grampians Health (Ballarat) | (03) 5320 4253 |
| Bendigo Health (Bendigo) | (03) 5454 7802 |
| Peninsula Health (Frankston) | (03) 9784 7460 |
| Barwon Health (Geelong) | (03) 4215 1661 |
| Goulburn Valley Health (Shepparton) | (03) 5832 2660 |
| Latrobe Regional Hospital (Traralgon) | (03) 5173 8145 |
| Northeast Health (Wangaratta) | (03) 5722 5341 |
| South West Healthcare (Warrnambool) | (03) 5564 4280 |
ROSCP education
As part of our education opportunities for health professionals, ROSCP provides face-to-face learning and training sessions to staff who care for children and adolescents with cancer at regional centres.
This education helps the regional centres to deliver the services and support that allow paediatric cancer patients to access care closer to home, where appropriate.
Covering a range of topics to improve knowledge and practical skills, these sessions are available for a mix of medical, nursing and allied health staff. Many learnings can also be applied in other areas of care as well as treating cancer, meaning that ROSCP education provides additional benefits by skilling-up our workforce to improve paediatric care more widely.
We thank the Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation for their funding to support ROSCP education opportunities across regional Victoria.