ENDOBRONCHIAL ULTRASOUND FOR NORTHERN HEALTH

Your support is critical to helping us raise the $425,000 needed to purchase an Endobronchial Ultrasound Unit or EBUS for Respiratory Services at Northern Hospital Epping.

EBUS is essential as it will allow us to diagnose and stage suspected lung cancer immediately without having to refer our patients to other health services causing delays in commencing treatment and care plans. Northern Hospital is the only hospital in Victoria that does not have this medical equipment which is vital to caring for out Respiratory patients here in the North.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death in Australia, with mortality rates higher than breast, bowel and prostate cancer combined. Northern Health Respiratory Department was established three years ago supporting the treatment of a range of respiratory conditions including asthma, lung cancer, pleural disease and pneumonia.

Last year approximately 5,000 people presented at Northern Hospital Respiratory Outpatients for treatment and assessment, with over 1,200 of these patients admitted to Northern Hospital with a serious respiratory disease. The service provides coordinated lung cancer care with respiratory, thoracic surgery, medical and radiation oncology all contributing to a patients’ treatment plan. There remains a gap in the service without our ability to provide and Endobronchial Ultrasound Service (EBUS) for patients. Currently, patients needing access to diagnostic testing are requiring to attend other public health services outside of their community.

The current wait time for our patients requiring EBUS diagnosis at these other services is four to six weeks, with optimal care guidelines recommending a maximum wait time of two weeks. The introduction of an EBUS diagnostic service is critical to Northern Hospital being able to reduce patient wait times for lung cancer stage diagnosis and commencement of appropriate treatment pathway.

It is disappointing and frustrating that our patients do not have access to diagnostic tests that are standard care in other hospitals across Victoria and Australia. An EBUS would allow us to provide the comprehensive care that our Northern community need and deserve.

The expected outcomes of having an EBUS service within our Respiratory Department at Northern Hospital, Epping will enable our respiratory teams to provide immediate best practice in care for any person who presents with suspected lung cancer. It will reduce the time between diagnoses to treatment, eliminating the wait times experienced when being referred to other health services. It will significantly reduce the number of late diagnosis resulting in the improvement of patient outcomes and the saving of lives. lia. An EBUS would allow us to provide the comprehensive care that our Northern community need and deserve..

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