What is it?
The Cancer Screening Hub is an online platform that hosts a variety of tools and resources for health professionals, and health and community organisations seeking to improve cancer screening participation in under screened communities.
It was first developed to capture the key learnings and resources of the Under Screened Recruitment Program. This program which was implemented in 2012 aimed to increase breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening participation in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Aboriginal), culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), and low socio-economic (low SES) communities in Victoria. The Cancer Screening Hub has since expanded to encompass all the insights, case studies and resources from various programs engaging with under screened communities.
Who is it for?
This website is for project leaders working in cancer prevention, health promotion or community development – in particular, those working to increase participation in cancer screening programs.
People interested in this work may be: health promotion officers, health and community workers, ethnic community groups, GP practice nurses, district nursing staff, nurses with special interest in cancer screening, case managers, liaison officers and personal care staff for migrants, community guides/proposer who connect migrants to services, GPs serving priority communities and sexual health nurses.
The Cancer Screening Hub is currently promoted to grant applicants who develop and implement local initiatives to increase cancer screening in their communities. It is also an important resource for the Community Led Cancer Screening Program (CLCSP) implemented by the Primary Health Networks (PHNs).
Why has it been developed?
Reducing health inequity and increasing participation in cancer screening are a priority of the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services and Cancer Council Victoria. To work towards the goal of reducing incidence and mortality from preventable cancers, the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services and Cancer Council Victoria have joined forces to share learnings and tools from recent cancer screening projects.
What groups are under-screened in Victoria?
The Department of Health and Human Services Victorian Cancer Plan 2016-2020 identifies certain population groups who have lower cancer screening participation rates.
Aboriginal people, people with a disability, culturally and linguistically diverse communities and people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage have a higher risk of late-stage cancer diagnosis, have poorer survival outcomes and higher mortality rates. These groups tend to participate in screening and cancer prevention programs at lower rates than the rest of the Victorian population.