i am so angry and sad regarding women that have had surgery and have no one after wards to help them, after my surgery I had a pamphlet that had a McGrath nurse I could contact which i have and they have been a gods send to me. I have been told it is different for private and public if your public you are on your own which I have just found out to be quiet true. I have joined a bc group like this and is in my home town adelaide . I have tears as I write this I posted a reply to a women and I hand about four replies from other women that were the same no McGrath nurse or any bc nurse to contact when they came home wtf all this money we raise and suppose to have a nurse for every women that has /had breast cancer I'm shocked at how many of these women have no help or know how to get help. Can anyone tell me why this is happening .

Hi everyone,I have just read this post and wanted to respond to all of you. I can see that there have been varied experiences with accessing a breast care nurse and this has been discussed previously in the online network. See response from @Marianne_BCNA below from a similar discussion regrading breast care nurses.Marianne_BCNA Administrator Posts: 225 ✭May 2018 61.69.77.118Hi all,Thanks for alerting me to this conversation @iserbrown. The very varied experiences and disparity in care you all describe with breast care nurses reflects what we learnt from our State of the Nation project. We are aware that this is particularly an issue for women who have neo adjuvant therapy as they may not see a breast care nurse until much later in their treatment or at all. We have fed the information we received form the State of the nation back to McGrath and CNSA (Cancer Nurses Society of Australia) and have been in close communication with them. There isn't an updated position statement re breast care nurses but I understand that this is a priority for them and we will maintain communication with them during this process.As Marianne has mentioned this is one of BCNAs priorities from the State of the Nation report and we will continue to advocate to government for increased funding for metastatic breast care nurses to enable training for breast care nurses in treatment pathways for people with metastatic breast cancer. BCNA has been corresponding with the McGrath Foundation regarding this deliverable. We will keep you updated regarding further progress in this area.

@Sister You can speak to a breast care nurse at any time. Mine is still available and helpful for me. If you want to I would urge you to find one. From this site we know they're not always attentive but if you find a good one, they're invaluable.

I think the main thing is to have the option of bc nurses available. I had a splendid senior oncology nurse at day oncology and didn’t really need anyone else. Just knowing there is someone experienced, who has a bit of knowledge about you, to turn to is immensely helpful - whatever the title.

@Fufan Sorry to hear youve had a "non-experience" with your BC Nurse. I live regionally & my McGrath Nurse was located about an hour away. Despite this, she would ring me, email me & even pop in to see me when she was in my town conducting a get together. I have heard other stories of women who seemed to have "lucked out" when it comes to their experience. I consider myself very lucky to have had the wonderful care & support from the lady I had. i would ring her, email her with all the stupid questions, concerns & even to get clarification on things. She would even advise me on "what to do next" & "what would you do if it were you"?? She made me feel so comfortable & sent me brochures, books & merchandise & I felt very loved. She even offered to counsel my family. After a few years, once I had recovered fully & wasnt in need of her care, i was very sad when we finally had to part ways as she had been my rock. But by me stepping aside, i know it gave one more cancer patient a chance to be in her care.As has been said above, there are other avenues of support available. I have been on this forum since day 1 of my diagnosis & the support & knowledge of those who have dealt with it first hand, is amazing.I have also used the Cancer Council hotline, the BC Nurses at the hospital & also one that worked in my surgeons office. You could even contact the McGrath hotline & speak to someone over the phone to voice your concerns & they may even know of a support group near you that can provide some much needed comfort to you.i hope you find the care & support you need as we all need it during these difficult times. love & strength. xx <3

I am going to see my McGrath nurse next week i have at least ten other women saying the same thing this is not good enough. Everyone of us needs support more after than during surgery you shouldn't have to deal with this by yourself this makes me cry, i know from my own experience and even now knowing i can call on kate and she will be there to listen and help me .

McGrath Nurses | BCNA Online Network

41 Replies

brightspace
Member
7 years ago
Good news today with goverment announcement....
Yes the individual does have to beproactive in thefollowjng up of the availabilty of McGrath services
All the best
Bright in hope
Stork
Member
7 years ago
When I had my surgery I saw the breast care nurse the day before I have not seen her since, 18 months ago No contact
Stork
Jen79x
Member
7 years ago
I was private through Chris O’Brien lifehouse and no offer of a breast care nurse. :(
Patti_J
Member
7 years ago
Mmm...I will believe it when I see it. In 2018, there was ONE extra McGrath Foundation nurse.
kmakm
Member
7 years ago
PM ScoMo has just promised more money for McGrath breast care nurses.

http://www.mygc.com.au/breast-care-nurse-numbers-boosted-with-27m-in-funding/
kmakm
Member
8 years ago
@Sister You can speak to a breast care nurse at any time. Mine is still available and helpful for me. If you want to I would urge you to find one. From this site we know they're not always attentive but if you find a good one, they're invaluable.
Cowgirl1
Member
8 years ago
hi sister, i also went to st andrews and had about 4 - 5 bc nurses in contact with me before and after surgery to check up on me, i was private, its never to late to find a bc nurse it has been two years and i still need a bc nurse to talk to sometimes .
Cowgirl1
Member
8 years ago
I am going to see my McGrath nurse next week i have at least ten other women saying the same thing this is not good enough. Everyone of us needs support more after than during surgery you shouldn't have to deal with this by yourself this makes me cry, i know from my own experience and even now knowing i can call on kate and she will be there to listen and help me .
kezmusc
Member
8 years ago
There are more BC nurses available in the public system than the private in Qld.
I agree this should not be the case and I know one of our BC nurses is lobbying with a local support group to try and get more availability for private patients

This could vary location to location I would imagine as to how many nurses are available and like everything it's going to depend on the actual people doing the job as to how things roll. If you need to contact a BC nurse you can find their names numbers and locations on the McGrath website or the hospital should be able to put you in touch as well.
Sister
Member
8 years ago
I went private through St Andrews in Adelaide. There are breast care nurses there and one of them contacted me a few days after each surgery but that's the last I heard of them. I never even realised that they would be available to me down the track should I need them...I think. As you can tell, no relationship developed and they are not even on my radar should I need help. Perhaps I should have been more proactive but that boat's pretty much sailed.

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