Funding for prostate cancer charity redirected to McGrath Foundation

Tens of thousands of men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in Australia every year.

Martin Fisk is one of them.

"I was experiencing extreme fatigue that I couldn't work out why, so I went to the GP and she ordered a bunch of tests," he said.

"Then I got the phone call that nobody wants to get."

It was a diagnosis Mr Fisk had been dreading; both his father and father-in-law died from the disease. 

He is now receiving a combination of hormone therapy, radiation and drug treatments — all tracked and monitored with regular biopsies, tests and scans.

A specialist prostate cancer nurse helps to coordinate this vital yet complex care, while supporting Mr Fisk and his family in Canberra.

"I'm having three different treatments, they each have side effects, but they also interact with each other, and [my nurse] is across all of that," he said.

"When I have a symptom I can't explain, I can go to her."

'Specialist knowledge built over many years' 

Prostate cancer accounts for 17 per cent of new cancer diagnoses, with one in five men at risk.

Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia (PCFA) provides specialist nurse positions in hospitals around the country, mostly funded by the federal government.

"We have many men in touch with us who are telling us they're alive today because of the support they received by prostate cancer specialist nurses," said PCFA director of nursing Sally Sara.

But federal funding for PCFA's nursing program will be moved to the McGrath Foundation from July next year, part of a wider shift to an "all-cancer" model.

"We have had a number of nurses in our network already approach us to tell us that they are looking for alternative positions," Ms Sara said.

"I have grave concerns for men out there in the community who are dependent on this specialist level of care."

PCFA CEO Anne Savage says the foundation has "no issues with McGrath", but the change risks losing expertise built over time.

"[The nurses] are not interchangeable with the McGrath all-cancer service," she said.

"Their specialist knowledge, trusted clinical relationships, and deep understanding of prostate cancer have been built over many years."

Move towards all-cancer model

The government says the funding change is a continuation of its "all-cancer" model which has brought multiple disciplines into the McGrath Foundation.

In a statement, Special Envoy for Men's Health Dan Repacholi told the ABC that the transition would be planned to ensure patients "continue receiving care".

"Existing nurses will have the option to move across to McGrath, keeping their location, experience and patient relationships wherever possible," he said. 

"If a nurse chooses not to transition, McGrath will recruit someone to fill that position."

Last month the federal government announced that $46.5 million over five years — the equivalent to 60 full-time positions — would be moved to the McGrath Foundation.

The McGrath Foundation was founded in 2005 by former Australian cricketer Glenn McGrath following the death of his wife Jane from breast cancer.

After initially raising money for breast cancer nurses, it now provides care for all cancer types.

It's developed the McGrath Model of Care which the foundation describes as "a national, evidence‑based framework shaped by real‑world nursing experience". 

In recent years the Labor government has shifted its funding for 14 types of cancer from a range of individual charities and foundations to McGrath, representing tens of millions of dollars.

Mr Repacholi said the latest change "maintains the same level of funding", and all the money being moved to McGrath would be used for dedicated prostate cancer nursing.

He said that nurses wouldn't lose their specialist skills or practice.

"It's not a funding cut. The contract's simply moving from PCFA to McGrath as part of the national all-cancer nursing model,"

he said.

Foundation to pursue 'every available avenue'

PCFA says it will pursue "every available" avenue to protect its nursing services, including "parliamentary scrutiny and examination of our contractual and legal rights".

"This is not a dispute about funding, this is about the standard of care and the survival of Australian men impacted by prostate cancer," Ms Savage said.

Through fundraising and corporate sponsors, PCFA provides an extra 24 full time nurse positions beyond the 60 funded by the Commonwealth.

"The PCFA will retain responsibility for those positions, honour its existing agreements and continue raising funds for specialist prostate cancer nursing," Ms Savage said.

Despite being in the midst of his treatment, Mr Fisk is himself now raising money for prostate cancer, with more than $16,000 at last count.

Mr Fisk spent much of his working life in the community and charity sector, including running the mental health organisation Menslink for more than a decade, and is no stranger to raising money for charity. 

He is taking part in PCFA's annual Long Run campaign, with funds raised going towards the specialist nursing care like he and his family are receiving.

"We have people from all over Canberra and, in fact, all around the world chipping in and donating with some amazing messages of support," Mr Fisk said.

"They make me cry, but they also make me a bit stronger to go out and help more people if I can."

Mr Fisk says support provided by his nurse for his mental health has been just as important as his physical health.

"Having a cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment is a scary journey. [My nurse] is able to be there alongside [us],"

he said.

"I want to make sure [nurses] are available not just to me, but for all the other prostate cancer patients that are coming in the future."