Background
The Care of the Older Person with Cancer Toolkit (the Toolkit) was first published in 2022 following extensive consultation with subject matter experts, including clinicians, Victorian Integrated Cancer Services (VICS) staff, and the Victorian Department of Health. It has undergone three formal reviews to ensure it remains current, relevant, and effective. The latest version of the Toolkit has been developed to support implementation of the Optimal Care Pathway for Older People with Cancer (OCP). It also aligns with key focus areas of the current Victorian Cancer Plan and Australian Cancer Plan.
Aims
The Toolkit helps health services operationalise new approaches to caring for older people with cancer.
Methods
The Toolkit is a living document updated over time to incorporate contemporary evidence of models of care implemented across Australia. The 2026 iteration includes links to and aligns with the OCP, considerations such as the 4Ms Framework and a new checklist to support service delivery at the patient level. By aligning with the OCP for older people with cancer, the Toolkit provides best practice examples of tools to support scalable service implementation according to the size of the health service. Barriers and enablers to service implementation are included to assist health sites overcome capacity and access issues.
Results/outcomes
The Toolkit has supported health sites to implement sustainable models of care appropriate to their local environment. The 2026 iteration includes two new models of care developed using the Toolkit as a resource for development and implementation. Sustainability has been built into the models of care and plans for later rollout and expansion are being considered.
Conclusion
The Toolkit has proved to be a positive implementation resource for improving access to services for older people with a diagnosis of cancer. Alignment to the OCP provides additional best practice guidance for quality service improvement.