A breast cancer diagnosis can be frightening, but knowing there is someone to contact for emotional support during sudden news of illness, treatment and surgery, is comforting.
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St George and Sutherland hospitals will benefit from greater access to McGrath Breast Care Nurses designed to support patients as they navigate a breast cancer.
The NSW Government is delivering 29 additional nurses statewide thanks to a $18.2 million investment across four years. Eight of the nurses have already started their new positions, including one at St George Hospital.
The specially trained nurses provide free care, support and are a key point of contact for patients during their treatment. They become a trusted, consistent, and knowledgeable point of contact, and explain complicated aspects of treatment to patients, during what can be a stressful period. The service of a McGrath Breast Care Nurse is free and available without a doctor's referral.
Moira Way has worked as an oncology nurse for most of her career, and also completed an oncology and breast cancer postgraduate course. She was a breast care nurse for about 15 years for NSW Health. For the past six months, she has been in the new position of a McGrath Breast Care Nurse.
"I work in a team where my role as a McGrath Breast Care Nurse is to provide consistent and knowledgeable information and support, coordination and accessibility for patients who are diagnosed," she said.
The youngest patient she supported was 18 years old. "You're never too young or too old to have breast cancer. Many of my patients have very good outcomes after treatment. It's lovely to see them back for just their follow-up reviews, then leaving the hospital again."
Premier Chris Minns says "every support counts". "Too many of us know someone who has been impacted by breast cancer. It is a scary and a stressful time," Mr Minns said.
"McGrath Breast Care Nurses give priceless support to patients and their families when they need it most. These specially trained nurses can make a big difference."
Chief Executive of McGrath Foundation Holly Masters applauds the announcement. "We are incredibly grateful for the expanded support of the NSW Government who will help us towards our goal of ensuring no one with breast cancer in NSW misses out on the free care and support of a breast care nurse," she said.
One in seven women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
The Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) has also welcomed six common drugs used to treat breast cancer being able to be prescribed and dispensed for 60-days with a single prescription.
The drugs include common types of hormone blocking therapies such letrozole, anastrozole and tamoxifen, among others, which combined represented almost one million individual prescriptions in the 2023 calendar year.
These drugs are included in the second tranche of more than 300 medicines that have moved to 60-day prescribing since it was announced in September 2023.
The six hormone blocking drugs are used to treat hormone receptor positive breast cancer. Hormone blocking therapy, also called endocrine therapy, works by blocking hormones that can cause cancer to grow or to come back. Around two thirds of all breast cancer diagnoses are hormone-receptor positive.
BCNA Director of Policy, Advocacy and Support Services Vicki Durston says enabling these vital drugs to be prescribed for 60-days at a time could save consumers hundreds of dollars.
"It is especially important that we work to reduce the cost of hormone blocking therapies for breast cancer as some are required for ten years or more after active treatment finishes," Ms Durston said.
In its 2017 report on the financial effects of breast cancer, BCNA reported average out-of-pocket cost relating to breast cancer at about $5000, but with some as high as $21,000. These figures do not include additional costs such as lost income, follow-up procedures, or paying for un-subsidised treatments.
