What is CanNET?

CanNET is a new model of health care to ensure better access to quality cancer care, and improve cancer outcomes, particularly for people in regional and rural areas. 

It will develop processes and systems to effectively link health care providers in different regions and organisations into single cancer service networks, enabling them to work in a coordinated manner to deliver evidence-based cancer care. It will improve cancer outcomes by ensuring that care is focused on the needs of people affected by cancer.  It will also mean that more people with cancer can receive best practice treatment and support closer to home.

• Evidence for the CanNET model
• Needs-based approach

Evidence for the CanNET model

CanNET has been developed after extensive consultation and careful examination of overseas models and experience. 

It incorporates the key interventions that have been shown to improve cancer care and outcomes for people with cancer including:

• commitment to consumer involvement in all aspects of service planning and delivery;
• supporting GPs in prompt diagnosis and early referral to a multidisciplinary team assessment;
• multidisciplinary care;
• a systematised approach to quality improvement; and
• evidence-based protocols.
  

It provides a platform for consumers and clinicians to work in partnership to narrow the gap between current evidence and practice.

Needs-based approach

People with cancer and their families want the best possible care as close to home as practicable.  In recognition of this, CanNET is underpinned by a ‘needs-based’ approach to the delivery of services.  This approach identifies three distinct groups of people affected by cancer, based on their treatment and care needs:

1.      People who can be diagnosed, assessed and treated locally.

2.      People who require assessment elsewhere. Some of these people may be able to receive part of their ongoing treatment locally.

3.      People who need to be diagnosed elsewhere and whose complex care needs and/or multi-modal treatment requirements necessitate ongoing treatment provided by a major cancer service, away from where they live.

Services need to be designed to respond appropriately to the needs of each of these groups.  CanNET will support state and territory governments to undertake the service reforms necessary to ensure the most efficient use of current services, and to plan appropriately for increasing demand.