Plenary Sessions
Plenary 2: INTEGRATE | Navigation, Informal Care, and Follow Up Care
Cancer pathways are often complex, fragmented, and difficult to navigate, with nurses, carers, and families doing much of the unseen work to keep care connected. This plenary explores what integration truly looks like in practice and why navigation must be recognised as core cancer care, not an optional add-on.
The session will include an update on the National Cancer Navigation Service Project, highlighting national efforts to improve consistency, equity, and access to navigation across Australia. This provides important context for cancer nurses, acknowledging navigation as essential infrastructure and recognising the central role nurses already play in coordinating care across settings and services.
A panel discussion will then examine the role of informal care within cancer pathways, exploring how carers and families are relied upon but rarely designed for, and the impact this has on patients and the workforce. The plenary concludes with a thought provoking session focused on measuring what matters - and examining how we can raise the standard for follow-up after cancer.
This session invites cancer nurses to reflect, challenge assumptions, and engage in shaping cancer pathways that better reflect the realities of care delivery and patient experience.