Key Issues

To ensure the provision of quality radiation oncology services the ‘needs of the nation’ are to be incorporated into the planning process in order to ensure that access is provided to all patients in Australia who require radiotherapy. The current situation is characterised by:

• Fragmented planning of specialist oncological services, radiation oncology infrastructure and workforce;
• Variability in access to timely radiotherapy treatments across both geographic locations and cancer types;
• Lack of implemented and permanent national initiatives focused on quality and safety, including:
  • Radiation Oncology Practice Standards for facilities are not mandatory;
  • There is no nationally implemented minimum radiation oncology dataset to guide planning;
  • There is no incident monitoring system across Australia that is appropriate for radiotherapy;
  • Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service is funded only as a pilot.
• Problems persisting with the timely and safe introduction, evaluation, uptake and patient reimbursement for modern techniques and technologies in radiation oncology.