Thousands of Australian men with prostate cancer and their families are set to benefit from an expansion of the nationwide Prostate Cancer Specialist Nursing Service.
The Australian Government has announced that they will be investing an additional $23 million in the program which was initiated and funded by Movember in partnership with the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.
The latest round of funding, announced by Minister for Health, The Hon Greg Hunt MP, will see prostate cancer nurses employed at 24 new health services or cancer services.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Australian men, with one in six men on the receiving end of a prostate cancer diagnosis before the age of 85.
Each year, more than 19,500 Australian men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 3,300 Australian men will lose their life to prostate cancer.
The Prostate Cancer Specialist Nursing Service is an example of Movember’s commitment to investing in innovative solutions through catalytic funding. This means identifying a gap, taking an idea and turning it into a proven solution which can then be scaled.
Being a catalytic funder allows us to be truly impactful with the money raised by our Mo community. Once we’ve secured funding for a project, we’re able to move on and fund new innovative programs.
Movember’s Dr Amanda Pomery, Director of Prostate Cancer Survivorship, has welcomed the news and can’t wait to see specialist services become available in 24 new locations.
“The evolution of the Prostate Cancer Specialist Nursing Service over the last nine years has made a real positive and lasting impact on men and their families dealing with prostate cancer.
“Men face challenges of treatment decisions, understanding the disease and managing side effects, which can cause fear and uncertainty. The needs of men living with prostate cancer are specific, meaning access to the right care is critical in improving outcomes and the quality of life for these men.”
How the program has evolved over time:
2011 - Movember, in partnership with Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA), identified that there was a distinct lack of information and support for men diagnosed with prostate cancer.
2012 – Movember and PCFA launched the Prostate Cancer Specialist Nursing Service, a pilot program financed with $3.6 million raised by our Mo community. The service funded the recruitment, training and placement of 12 specialist prostate cancer nurses nationwide.
2013 - The program was recognised by the Australian Department of Health, who invested $7.2 million to scale the service to men with prostate cancer around the country. This additional funding enabled the recruitment, training and placement of prostate cancer nurses in 29 locations across the country.
2020 – The Australian Government announced a further $23 million over the next three years in funding to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, to recruit and train nurses at 24 locations nationwide.
New nurse locations in 2020-2021:
| ACT | Canberra Health Service |
| NSW | Broken Hill Health Service |
| NSW | Westmead Hospital |
| NSW | Coffs Harbour Health Campus |
| NSW | Prince of Wales Hospital (Randwick) |
| NSW | Dubbo Health Service |
| NSW | Royal Prince Alfred Hospital |
| NSW | Royal North Shore Hospital |
| QLD | Bundaberg & Hervey Bay Cancer Centres |
| QLD | Mackay Cancer Centre & Base Hospital |
| QLD | Redcliffe Hospital |
| SA | Genesis Care Cancer Centres (Bedfork Park, Kurralta Park, Adelaide and Elizabeth) |
| SA | Mt Gambier |
| SA | Queen Elizabeth Hospital |
| SA | Pt Lincoln Health Service |
| TAS | Launceston |
| VIC | Wangaratta |
| VIC | Warrnambool |
| VIC | Horsham Wimmera Cancer Centre |
| VIC | St Vincent’s Private & Public |
| WA | Joondalup Cancer Centre |
| WA | WA Country Health Service WA (Kimberley, Pilbara, Goldfields, Midwest, Wheatbelt, South West and Great Southern) |
| WA | Fiona Stanley Hospital |
| WA | Genesis Care Cancer Centres Wembley & Nedlands |
