Every year 35,656 Victorians hear the words ‘you have cancer’. Their lives change in an instant, as do those of the people around them.
During a time that can feel overwhelming and isolating, compassionate cancer nurses are just a phone call away.
For Laura, one of Cancer Council’s 13 11 20 nurses, the cancer information and support line not only enhances her work with those affected by cancer – it’s essential to bridging a gap in the cancer care ecosystem.
In 2023, the 13 11 20 cancer information and support line received 15,511 requests for information and support from Victorians. Nearly 2,000 of these were referrals from health professionals.
Originally from England, Laura has been a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Cancer Council since late 2023 and has over 15 years’ experience working with people diagnosed with cancer in hospital settings.
In her time working at a day oncology unit, where she’d help patients access their cancer treatment, Laura relished being able to connect with a broad range of people. When a role at Cancer Council on the 13 11 20 support line became available, she saw it as an opportunity to help people in a new way.
Laura shares her experience in her own words…
I’ve always loved connecting with people, and the part of my nursing that I have always enjoyed is just building rapport with people. Talking to them about the real experience that they’re having. The 13 11 20 support line is a nice way for me to use my experience and help in a different sort of capacity.
People often feel like they come away from consults with unanswered questions or things that haven’t come up until they walked away. They’re left in this limbo where they have to wait till the next appointment and are managing this sort of state of uncertainty.
We have the time to listen
One of the biggest strengths of the 13 11 20 support line is that we have the time. We can be a listening ear, but then we also have access to evidence-based information. It’s a really nice place for them to just be able to call and debrief about what’s happening, work out where they go next and potentially get some extra information or linked in with other services if they need it.
Giving people a safe space to let that emotion out and hearing that comfort at the end of the call… even in one call, you can see that progression from one state to another. That’s really nice.
People have a diversity of needs
There’s such diversity in people’s needs. Some people need a lot more time to go over the information or go into it on a deeper level, and there’s also the group of people such as carers or family members who are affected but not the person with cancer.
We also hear from people who are at risk of cancer due to a genetic predisposition, people who are grieving someone they’ve lost to cancer, people who aren’t in the system, or people concerned with survivorship.
And then there’s even little calls where they just need a bit of information about X or Y. 13 11 20 is a nice central point where we can then refer people on to other services, even if they aren’t sure what they need.
In the past 12 months there's been a 15% increase in 13 11 20 inquiries. Of all the requests, 36% were primarily focussed on psychological and emotional support and 22% were from carers or loved ones of those diagnosed with cancer.
Keeping up to date on the latest cancer information
Our conversations can cover such a broad range of topics and we have a team of people who have worked in various areas of cancer care with different specialties.
In between calls we'll be working on learning lots of things that might be happening in the cancer world. So keeping up to date on what's happening in the news, what treatments are emerging, and what's happening in the supportive care world. That way we're ready for what questions we might be faced with or who we might be supporting.
13 11 20 is a really non-judgmental and safe space. You don’t even need a particular reason to ring, you can just call to have a chat and a debrief to see if anything comes up.
Anyone can call us
Being able to offer more to the people who need it, the underserved communities, and striving for more equitable care in how we reach people is the most important thing. Really getting the message out there for people that they can just ring.
But you need the capacity for people to be available to take the calls, otherwise the service doesn’t really work. And you need the team to be able to take the time to be informed and learn about the things we’re going to be talking about.
Without the generous support of our donors, the service wouldn’t be able to continue at the same level. And the feedback we get is great – lots of people will say ‘I’m so glad I called’, which is the most important thing.
People are really reassured to know they can call when they need to. Even if we can’t fix it, we can make it feel more manageable.
Laura's story ends.
This essential service would not be possible without the generosity of Victorians who donate, fundraise or volunteer to support people affected by cancer. Together, we can ensure that no Victorian has to face cancer alone.
Contact cancer support
Talk to a cancer nurse and get the support you need. The 13 11 20 cancer information and support line is available to anyone affected by cancer – those diagnosed, family, friends, and carers. Monday to Friday, 9am—5pm.
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