Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan has welcomed the continued support of The McGrath Foundation’s breast care nurses following a $3 million investment for 2021.

The funding will support these wonderful Australians as they continue to protect and save the lives of so many Australian women with breast cancer.

Mr Conaghan said the Federal Government investment will also fund a scoping project that will seek feedback from patients on what aspects of breast care nurse support they value the most.

“Australia’s breast care nurses are at the core of this, particularly in regional communities,” he said.

“They are supporting our breast cancer patients and their families with personal care and genuine compassion. They improve the quality of care in so many ways, from fewer specialist appointments, to improved understanding and clarity, to more confidence and reduced anxiety”.

Mid North Coast Local Health District Chief Executive Stewart Dowrick says The McGrath Foundation’s breast care nurses make a difference.

“We really appreciate the efforts of our breast care nurses in connecting with patients and their families and providing the very best of care during a difficult time in their lives,” he said.

“The emotional, physical and psychological support they provide really makes a difference to a patient’s breast cancer journey from diagnosis and throughout their treatment.”

Feedback from the scoping project will help inform the ongoing development of advanced cancer care nursing roles.

The McGrath Foundation will form a stakeholder working group to guide this project and will provide a report to the Government in the second half of 2021.

Australia still has one of the highest survival rates for breast cancer in the world. The five‑year relative survival for people with breast cancer was 91.1 per cent from 2012‑2016.

Australia’s network of breast care nurses (BCNs) work within multidisciplinary teams to coordinate care from diagnosis and throughout treatment, free of charge.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Australian women, with an estimated more than 19,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, as well as more than 160 men.

The Federal Government already provides funding to support the recruitment, training and employment of specialist breast care nurses through the McGrath Foundation.

This funding is in addition to the Government’s funding of $38 million to the McGrath Foundation from 2019–20 to 2022–23 to increase the number of Commonwealth-funded breast care nurses from 57 to 102 positions.