RFI - Cancer Care Associates - Workflow description

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Should a patient require collection of take-home medication from pharmacy at the conclusion of
their treatment, the patient exits the MO unit via the North using the East-West corridor. Patient
then continues through the corridor to the main entry exit of the facility.


Patient Treatment sessions last on average between 5-6 hours per treatment session and due to
their treatment regime and cancer, a high portion of patients are transported to the facility by a
carer or third party i.e. no car remains onsite.



3. Blue Zone – Radiation Oncology (RO)
Radiation Oncology patients first scheduled appointment is for a one-time CT Planning session
lasting approximately 1 hour.

Subsequent Radiation Oncology treatment appointments are scheduled; patients are directed to the
blue zone via the South, East-West corridor to the RO sub-waiting area or Nurse Treatment room.

Each patient treatment session extends for between 15 to 25 minutes and requires set up and
cleaning between each patient. These appointments are strictly scheduled subject to treatment
type. A patients treatment regime will extend daily for approximately four weeks, ensuring patients
can arrive and leave in a punctual manner. This ensures there is no more than one patient waiting
for RO treatment at any one time.



4. Red Zone – Staff-Only Areas
The purpose, design, and operational requirements of the designated Red Zone areas within our
facility are essential to supporting clinical care, maintaining regulatory compliance, and protecting
patient privacy.

Red Zone areas are restricted to staff, specialists, consultants, and include clinical support spaces,
staff amenities, offices, and medication preparation zones. They are specifically designed to support
uninterrupted staff workflows while minimising interference with patient pathways throughout the
centre. The inclusion of these spaces is vital to meeting both the day-to-day and occasional
requirements of patient care.

Key functions of Red Zone Areas include:

    •   Clinical and Operational Versatility
        These areas incorporate flexible design principles, enabling adaptation to fluctuating service
        demands. Many staff members hold dual roles—for example, our Centre Manager is also a

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        qualified Radiation Therapist. Accordingly, workspaces must be adaptable to support such
        multiple functions effectively.

    •   Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) Meetings
        These meetings are attended by specialist teams for the purpose of reviewing patient cases.
        Sessions typically run for 45–60 minutes and require a private, functional space to support
        these confidential and collaborative discussions.

    •   Allied Health Consultations
        Allied Health professionals, such as McGrath Breast Care Nurses, Prostate Nurses, Dietitians,
        and Speech Pathologists, may attend the centre on an as-needed basis to consult with
        patients. These sessions last approximately 30 minutes and occur infrequently throughout a
        patient’s treatment course. Dedicated consultation rooms are required to accommodate
        these visits when necessary.

    •   Regulatory and Compliance Requirements
        In accordance with the Australasian Health Facility Guidelines (AHFGs), our facility must
        maintain spaces such as RO bed holds and Nurse Treatment Rooms. These are used
        infrequently—for example, less than 1% of patients may require an RO bed hold, if required
        it would typically extend for approximately 15–20 minutes. This is the only occasion the RO
        Nurse station would be staffed. Additionally, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in
        Healthcare inspections may necessitate private rooms for the duration of assessment days.
        These rooms must be readily available to ensure continued accreditation and compliance.

    •   Patient Privacy
        Administrative and reception staff regularly engage in confidential conversations with
        patients—often via telephone. Access to soundproofed, private rooms is essential for
        maintaining patient comfort and safeguarding sensitive information, in accordance with
        healthcare privacy standards.

These Red Zone areas are fundamental to delivering efficient, high-quality care whilst fulfilling our
obligations under national healthcare guidelines and accreditation standards.

A typical composition subject of staff within the red zone on a full-time basis at Cancer Care Noosa
would comprise of three receptionists, four Radiation Therapists, two Doctors, one Pharmacist,
three Nurses and one Physicist. As outlined above, these staff members often work across the
multiple areas within the red zone depending on the daily needs of the facility.

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  5. Purple Zone – Non-Occupied Spaces
  The Purple areas include non-occupied zones such as storage rooms, WCs, change rooms and other
  ancillary services.



  Should you have any questions, or wish to discuss further, please do not hesitate to contact me.

  Yours sincerely,




  Damien William
  CEO
  Cancer Care Noosa



Occupancy & Staffing Table
                                       Patients
                                                  Waiting
             Category                   Being                                    Notes
                                                  Patients
                                       Treated
Staff on Site                             14         n/a      Admin, doctors clinicians, nurses, etc.
RO – Bunker 1                              1          1       1 patient in treatment, 1 waiting
RO – Bunker 2 (future)                    -1         -1       Future capacity; not in current count
Consulting Patients                        2          2       2 rooms in use
                                                              No waiting due to scheduled long
MO Chair Patients                         6           0
                                                              treatments
TOTAL (Excluding Future Bunker 2)         23          3       14 staff + 9 patients (6 MO, 2 consult, 1 RO)
TOTAL (Including Future Bunker 2)         24          4       If Bunker 2 is converted

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Cancer Care 0

Associates

 

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www.cancercare.com.au

Level 3, 533 Kingsway,
Miranda NSW 2228 Australia

(02) 8556 9300 (02) 8556 9350
[email protected]

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