MNCCI Port Macquarie service information

The oncology dietitians specialise in helping people living with cancer to make the best food choices before, during and after cancer treatment.

Eating well helps people cope better with any treatment side effects. It can assist the body’s natural defense and immune systems as well as help wounds and damaged tissue heal better.

The dietitian is available to:

• assess current nutrition status
• provide tips and ideas to deal with unintended weight loss and assist with weight and muscle gain
• provide tips and ideas to achieve a healthy weight
• assist with individualised food plans
• assist with management of nutrition-related side effects such as loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhoea, constipation and taste changes
• provide advice on alternative foods and supplements
• help to make sense of all the advice given by family, friends and the media
• answer any questions about food and nutrition
• provide ongoing support and follow-up regarding nutrition.

For further information: Cancer Council’s ‘Nutrition and Cancer’ booklet.

Contact 

MNCCI Port Macquarie
Phone: 02 6580 1807

Hours

Dietitians are available at MNCCI Port Macquarie Monday to Friday: 8.30am to 5.00pm. 

Referrals

Referrals are accepted from all health care professionals via phone or fax . Patients can also self-refer to the service.
Phone : 02 6580 1807 or fax: 02 6580 1762.

Cost

There is no cost attached to this service.

The oncology social workers are part of the MNCCI multidisciplinary team and specialise in providing emotional and practical support before, during and after cancer treatment.

Cancer treatment can be a very stressful and challenging time for patients, their families and carers.

Some of the issues affecting people living with cancer include:

• coping emotionally with adjustment to diagnosis or recurrence
• coping with treatment side-effects
• managing stress, depression and anxiety
• communicating with family, friends and doctors
• making difficult decisions
• practical, legal and financial concerns
• effects of treatment on self-esteem, confidence & lifestyle
• carer stress
• sadness, loss and grief
• survivorship.

Types of support provided:

• professional support in adapting to serious and chronic illness
• individual, couple and family counselling
• family conferences around important decisions
• stress and anxiety management
• assistance with practical, financial and legal matters
• transport and accommodation issues
• information and referral to community resources.

Contact 

MNCCI Port Macquarie
Phone: 02 6580 1807

Referrals

Referrals are accepted from all health care professionals via phone or fax . Patients can also self-refer to the service.
Phone: 02 6580 1807 or fax: 02 6580 1762.

Hours

Social workers are available at MNCCI Monday to Friday: 8.30 to 5:00pm.

Cost

There is no charge for this service.

The oncology speech pathologists specialise in speech, voice and swallowing difficulties.

Speech pathologists provide suggestions on how to eat and drink safely to maintain your fluid and nutritional needs.

The speech pathologist is available to:

• assess swallowing, speech and voice function
• provide advice on modifications to food and drink to improve swallow safety
• assist with management of side effects such as:
  • dry mouth
  • excess saliva
  • thick saliva
  • loss of taste
• provide exercises and therapy to maintain muscle function needed for swallowing, speech and voice
• help to make sense of all the advice given by family, friends and the media
• answer any questions about swallowing, speech and voice
• provide ongoing support and follow-up regarding swallowing, speech and voice.

Contact 

MNCCI Port Macquarie
Phone: 02 6580 1807

Referrals

Referrals are accepted from all health care professionals via phone or fax . Patients can also self-refer to the service.
Phone : 02 6580 1807 or fax: 02 6580 1762.

Hours

The Speech Pathologist is available at MNCCI Monday to Friday: 8.30am to 5:00pm.

Cost

There is no cost attached to this service.

A cancer nurse specialist is a registered nurse who has completed extra study in cancer nursing and has advanced knowledge of the health needs, preferences and circumstances of women with breast and gynaecology cancer.

The cancer nurse specialist is available to:

• answer your questions, explain your treatments and provide emotional support
• give you information on treatments for cancer, breast prosthesis and breast reconstruction
• visit you during your stay in hospital and organise support after you leave hospital if needed
• assist you in caring for your wound after your operation
• act as a link with all members of the cancer care team and refer you to other services if needed
• coordinate your care from diagnosis, throughout your treatment and follow up
• act as a resource for information on local support activities
• lymphoedema assessment: pre surgical and ongoing L-Dex measurements to monitor for early detection of lymphedema.

Contact 

MNCCI Port Macquarie
Phone: 02 6580 1807

Referrals

Referrals are accepted from all health care professionals via phone or fax . Patients can also self-refer to the service.
Phone : 02 6580 1807 or fax: 02 6580 1762.

Hours

The Speech Pathologist is available at MNCCI Monday to Friday: 8.30am to 5:00pm.

Cost

There is no cost attached to this service.

The cancer care coordinator at the Port Macquarie campus of the MNCCI is responsible for the care coordination of adult patients with solid malignancies, excepting breast, prostate and gynaecological cancers.

Contact 

MNCCI Port Macquarie
Phone: 02 6580 1807

Referrals

Referrals are accepted from all health care professionals via phone or fax . Patients can also self-refer to the service.
Phone: 02 6580 1807 or fax: 02 6580 1762.

Hours

The Cancer Care Coordinator is available at MNCCI Monday to Friday: 7:30am to 4:00pm.

Cost

There is no cost attached to this service.

Risk assessment, screening advice and genetic testing (when appropriate) for individuals with a strong family history of cancer, and/or a personal history of multiple cancers, rare inherited cancers or cancer at a young age.

Please note that genetic testing is provided at no cost to patients who meet our clinical testing criteria, or who have an identified cancer predisposition genetic risk in the family.

For enquiries relating to non-cancer genetic conditions, please refer to the Genetics Counselling Service for information and referral details.

Referrals

A referral letter addressed to Professor Allan Spigelman Cancer Genetics Specialist, care of the Port Macquarie Cancer Genetics Clinic is required for all patients.

Contact

Phone: 02 6589 2328
Mob: 0417 267 312
Fax: 02 6589 2160

We provide a comprehensive range of clinical and laboratory services.

Our clinical service management includes:

• general haematologic illness (anaemia, ITP, haematologic manifestations of generalised disease and Gauchers’ disease)
• haematologic malignancies (Hodgkins’ disease, lymphoma, acute and chronic leukemia and myeloma)
• disorders of haemostasis and thrombosis (haemophilia, peri-operative assessment, von Willebrand disease, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism)
• thrombosis and haemostasis, and bone marrow transplant care coordination. Plasmapheresis services are not yet available and are in a planning stage.

Referrals

Referral to this service is through your general practitioner or specialist medical consultant via phone or fax .
Phone : 02 6580 1807 or fax: 02 6580 1762.

The Head and Neck Clinic at MNCCI has been established to provide support to patients who have been diagnosed with a cancer in the head and neck region and are commencing radiotherapy.

The role of the clinic is to provide you with medical and allied health support before, during and after you receive radiotherapy treatment. This service is for patients who usually have complex needs and symptoms. These appointments are important for you to keep so staff can monitor you closely to help you get through your treatment in the best possible way.

Referrals

Referrals are accepted from all health care professionals via phone or fax . Patients can also self-refer to the service.
Phone : 02 6580 1807 or fax: 02 6580 1762.

The lymphoedema therapist coordinates the care of patients who develop secondary lymphoedema as a result of their cancer treatments – from early diagnosis to ongoing maintenance therapy for the rest of their lives. The lymphoedema therapist also facilitates the MNC Lymphoedema Support Group which meets bi-monthly.

The role also involves monitoring and educating patients who are receiving active treatment about their risk of lymphoedema, its prevention, symptoms and management.

Referrals

Referrals are accepted from all health care professionals via phone or fax . Patients can also self-refer to the service.
Phone : 02 6580 1807 or fax 02 6580 1762.

Hours

The Lymphodema Therapist is available at MNCCI Monday to Friday: 7:30am to 4:00pm.

Cost

There is no cost attached to this service.

A variety of treatments are offered at the MNCCI Port Macquarie including chemotherapy which can be oral or intravenous (inserted into a vein), hormone therapy and immunotherapy.

Your treatment is decided by the medical oncologist who is a doctor that specialises in the study and treatment of cancer following a consultation with you. The medical oncologist works closely with other specialist medical staff, oncology nursing staff and the wider multi-disciplinary team to ensure that your care is individualised for your cancer journey.

These treatments can be provided in the oncology treatment room at MNCCI Port Macquarie. Supportive care (e.g. blood transfusions) are also provided within the unit. The unit is staffed by specialist oncology nurses and operated Monday to Friday: 8.00am to 5.30 pm.

Referrals

Referral to this service is through your general practitioner or specialist medical consultant via phone or fax .
Phone : 02 6580 1807 or fax: 02 6580 1762.

Our radiation oncology medical physicists are specialists who commission and monitor the equipment and procedures which allow the best treatment using radiation – taking into account the protection and safety of patients and others involved in the treatment process.

Our radiation oncology medical physicists are most typically involved with the safe operation and quality of systems used for imaging and treatment of patients. This includes our linear accelerators, CT scanners, superficial X-ray machines and treatment planning computer systems. Radiation oncology medical physicists are also largely responsible for the safe implementation of new treatment techniques such as four dimensional (4D) CT imaging and image guided radiation therapy.

Radiation oncology medical physicists work closely with IT and engineering staff to ensure all the radiotherapy equipment and computers are working correctly and linked together correctly.

Our medical physicists consult with the radiation oncologists and radiation therapists to provide advice as to the best use of medical radiation and make sure that all equipment meets international and national standards. This helps ensure that the radiation dose recommended by the radiation oncologist and planned by the radiation therapist can be delivered to the patient correctly.

Haematology/oncology pharmacists have a vital role in the health care team.

Pharmacists possess specialised knowledge about medications and how they work to fight cancer. They work with the medical and nursing staff to maximise the benefits of drug therapy while trying to minimise toxicities.

Haematology/oncology pharmacists work with the health care team to educate patients about what to expect during treatment and ensure that each medication is given at the right time and dosed correctly.  They also work closely with patients’ oncologist/haematologist in order to achieve the best possible outcome.

Contact

Phone: 02 6580 1807

The Prostate Cancer Specialist Nurse is the point of contact for prostate cancer patients, their carers and families, to coordinate their care and provide support and information.

Referrals

Referrals are accepted from all health care professionals via phone or fax . Patients can also self-refer to the service.
Phone : 02 6580 1807 or fax: 02 6580 1762.

Radiation therapy is prescribed by the radiation oncologist. A multi-disciplinary team is involved in the delivery and quality assurance of the treatment including radiation therapists, medical physics, nurses and allied health staff.

At the Mid North Coast Cancer Institute (MNCCI) we offer a comprehensive range of radiation therapy treatment and image techniques. Along with conventional techniques such as 3-Dimension Conformal Radiation Therapy (3D-CRT) and Superficial Radiotherapy, we also offer a range of modern techniques that include Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT), Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) and Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT).

Referrals

Referral to this service is through your general practitioner or specialist medical consultant via phone or fax .
Phone : 02 6580 1807 or fax: 02 6580 1762.