BRINGING OUR CONSUMER REPRESENTATIVES TOGETHER Alongside the congress, the Policy and Advocacy Team hosted a Consumer Representative workshop, bringing together 11 Consumer Representatives from across Australia. The workshop provided an opportunity for them to network, strengthen relationships, and contribute to BCNA’s priority areas of work. The Consumer Representatives attended several key conference sessions including Controversies in Reconstruction, Survivorship, Palliative Care and Breast Cancer 2030, before coming together to discuss the key learnings. Discussions focused on how the group could help inform and guide the implementation of the key recommendations from BCNA’s 2021 Breast Reconstruction in Australia report and the year 3 policy and advocacy priority areas in relation to survivorship and raising awareness of the unmet needs of people living with metastatic breast cancer. Thank you to those who joined us and continue to inform our policy priorities.
PRESENTING ON IMPORTANT TOPICS Throughout the congress,
A CONSUMER’S PERSPECTIVE OF BREAST CANCER IN 2030 We had the honour of closing the congress with BCNA CEO Kirsten Pilatti sharing our vision of what we hope to see in breast cancer care by 2030. This included increased accessibility to a breast care nurse, measuring optimal care, counting metastatic breast cancer, a patient-centred health system, access to precision medicine, a stratified screening program, access to pyscho- oncology support and for all health professionals to have access to communication training. We hear all too often about the lack of personalised and shared care between our health system, health professionals and those diagnosed, and acknowledge that everyone has different needs and personal circumstances, so what is determined to be the best care for one person, may be completely different for the next. During her speech, Kirsten acknowledged health professionals and their incredible contribution to improving breast cancer care for consumers, but also noted that there is so much more work to be done. ‘By 2030, we want to be able to travel this country and hear that patients feel heard, supported and not crushed by their experience ... I hope we have let the hidden ones—our First Peoples, our women and men with metastatic disease, our LGBTIQ+ communities, culturally and linguistically diverse and regional communities, speak louder than ever before and that their experiences have improved because of it,’ she said.
several BCNA staff members and Consumer Representatives were given an opportunity to speak on various topics, sharing their insights and knowledge. Policy and Advocacy Project Officer Julie Rae presented on supporting LGBTIQ+ communities, while Consumer Representative Dr Andrea Smith presented on her experience of survivorship as a person living with metastatic breast cancer. BCNA CEO Kirstin Pilatti was the chairperson for the Controversies in Reconstruction session where Senior Policy Officer Sam Mills and Consumer Representative Jodi Steel presented on the consumer voice informing the future of breast reconstruction in Australia. We also had BCNA Strategic Advisory Group member, Psycho-oncology Cooperative Research Group Professor Jane Turner present on fear of recurrence and how common it is, and Clinical Psychologist Dr Charlotte Tottman present on whether it is possible to conquer fear of recurrence.
bcna.org.au
Issue 93 | December 2022
15
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