Message From The President - Every cancer nurse matters
Yesterday, the Australian Government announced that funding for 60.5 FTE prostate cancer nurse positions will transition from the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia to the McGrath Foundation from 1 July 2027.
While this direction is not unexpected following the earlier consolidation of melanoma and lung cancer nursing programs as a part of the Australian Cancer Nursing and Navigation Program, the significance of this transition should not be underestimated.
The PCFA Prostate Cancer Specialist Nursing Program has operated for more than a decade. It represents a well-established model of care and a substantial specialist workforce with deep clinical expertise, trusted relationships and a strong professional identity.
The priority now must be the nurses and the people and families directly affected by this announcement.
CNSA expects the transition to be managed carefully, transparently and collaboratively, with affected nurses actively engaged throughout. The priority must be to retain this experienced workforce, preserve its specialist prostate cancer expertise, clinical relationships and professional identity, and ensure patients continue to receive high-quality, continuous care. Success should be measured not simply by the transfer of funding and positions, but by the retention of specialist nurses and the continuity, quality and accessibility of care for patients.
As the national professional body for cancer nurses, CNSA will seek an active role in the transition and clarity regarding its governance and workforce implications. We are particularly concerned that regional, rural and outer-metropolitan communities are not disadvantaged and continue to have equitable access to specialist prostate cancer nursing care.
CNSA also believes it is important to recognise that excellence in cancer nursing cannot be attributed to a single organisation, funding program or model of care. We acknowledge and respect the contribution of McGrath Cancer Care Nurses. They are highly valued members of Australia’s cancer nursing workforce and provide skilled and compassionate care to people affected by cancer every day.
Across Australia, cancer nurses provide exceptional care: in community and regional settings, within highly connected metropolitan cancer services, through virtual models of support, and across every stage and facet of the cancer experience. They bring advanced knowledge, compassion, judgement and advocacy to patients and families, often within health systems under immense pressure. Our focus should be on recognising and strengthening the capabilities that underpin that excellence across the entire workforce - not creating an unnecessary hierarchy between nurses based on who funds or employs them.
CNSA stands ready to work constructively with the Australian Government, PCFA, the McGrath Foundation, health services and the broader cancer nursing community to support a transition that is clinically sound, informed by nurses and centred on patients and families.
We will continue to advocate for every cancer nurse and for a future in which all cancer nurses are recognised, connected, supported and equipped to provide excellent care.
Professor Gemma McErlean
President
Cancer Nurses Society of Australia
