A major new national initiative has been launched to tackle one of Australia’s most significant yet largely overlooked health inequities, with an estimated 240 regional Australian men dying from prostate cancer each year who may have survived had they experienced the same outcomes as men living in metropolitan areas.
The Profield Foundation and Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) today announced The Profield Plan, a five-year initiative designed to strengthen prostate cancer care across regional Australia through specialist nursing leadership, integrated care, telehealth, psychological support and community-based survivorship programs.
Chairman of The Profield Foundation, Michael Field, said where a man lives should never determine whether he survives prostate cancer.
“For too many Australian men, postcode still influences their chance of surviving prostate cancer,” he said.
“Regional men continue to face barriers to timely diagnosis, specialist treatment and ongoing support that simply shouldn’t exist.
“The Profield Plan is about changing that by strengthening services in the communities that need them most and ensuring more men receive the right care at the right time.
“Together, we have an opportunity to build a lasting legacy for regional Australian men and their families.”
Men living in regional Australia experience a 24 per cent higher risk of dying from prostate cancer than men living in Australia’s major cities, reflecting longstanding inequities in access to specialist services, workforce capacity and coordinated models of care.
PCFA Chief of Mission and Head of Research, Professor Jeff Dunn AO, said eliminating those inequities was essential if Australia was to reduce preventable deaths from its most commonly diagnosed cancer.
“Every Australian man deserves the same opportunity to survive prostate cancer, regardless of who he is or where he lives,” he said.
“Too often, men living outside our major cities face delayed diagnosis, fragmented care pathways and reduced access to specialist support.
“The Profield Plan provides a comprehensive, evidence-based response by strengthening specialist nursing leadership, improving coordination of care, expanding telehealth and survivorship services, and building stronger connections between regional communities and Australia’s leading cancer centres.
“If we are serious about eliminating prostate cancer deaths, we must eliminate the inequities that continue to cost regional Australian men their lives.”
At the centre of the initiative is the establishment of a national Director of Regional Nursing, who will lead the design and implementation of a coordinated framework for regional prostate cancer care, workforce development and survivorship.
The initiative will also support the expansion of Specialist Prostate Cancer Nursing Services in high-need communities, strengthen telehealth connectivity, improve access to psychological support, enhance survivorship pathways and deliver community awareness and education initiatives across regional Australia.
PCFA Director of Nursing, Adjunct Professor Sally Sara, said specialist nurses were uniquely placed to improve both patient experience and clinical outcomes.
“A prostate cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming, particularly for men living in regional communities where access to specialist services may be limited,” Adjunct Professor Sara said.
“Specialist nurses help men navigate complex treatment pathways, coordinate multidisciplinary care, manage side effects and ensure patients and families receive the information and support they need throughout their cancer journey.
“This initiative will strengthen nursing leadership across regional Australia and help ensure more men can access expert care closer to home.”
The Profield Plan builds on a partnership between The Profield Foundation and PCFA spanning more than a decade, including support for PCFA’s Ambassador Program, the establishment of a Specialist Prostate Cancer Nurse in Tamworth and the creation of PCFA’s national counselling service.
Together, the organisations aim to close the regional survivorship gap and move Australia closer to a future where no man dies unnecessarily from prostate cancer.
