People in rural, regional and remote communities across Western NSW and Far West local health districts will benefit from a major expansion of clinical trials, increasing access to treatments usually only available in metropolitan areas.
Through the Rural, Regional and Remote Clinical Trial Enabling Program: Improving access to innovative healthcare in RRR NSW and ACT (R3-CTEP), WNSWLHD will establish a Clinical Trial Support Unit to deliver outreach services across both Districts.
Dr Rob Zielinski, Clinical Lead for the Western Cluster Clinical Trial Support Unit, said the program will improve and enable earlier access to the latest treatments and therapies for rural and remote communities.
“This once-in-a-generation injection of funds will supercharge access to clinical trials in our communities, ensuring more patients have access to the latest therapies and reducing the need to travel vast distances for treatment,” Dr Zielinski said.
“Breaking down barriers like geographic isolation will help us significantly improve health outcomes across our region, and help to address the specific health needs of our rural and remote communities.
“Additionally, the R3-CTEP will provide the infrastructure we need to improve clinical skills and capacity across our clinical trials workforce, along with valuable evidence to contribute to further research.
“We know institutions that participate in clinical research deliver better outcomes to all patients both on and off trials, as the clinicians performing research bring their valuable insights, skills and oversight into their everyday care.”
Dr Kerrie Noonan, WNSWLHD Director of Research, said the District has started developing service delivery plans for the Western Cluster Clinical Trial Support Unit, which will operate as a hub-and-spoke model.
“While we are still early in the implementation phase, we know this hub-and-spoke model will allow us to effectively reach and provide care for more patients across a much broader area,” Dr Noonan said.
“By bringing clinical trials closer to people in our rural and remote communities we can dramatically improve not just health outcomes, but also quality of life while people receive treatment.
“We are thrilled to have taken the first step on this journey, and we will be working intensively to progress the program quickly to ensure these services are available to communities as soon as possible.”
The R3-CTEP is funded by a $30.6 million investment, over five years, from the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund, Rural Regional and Remote Clinical Trial Enabling Infrastructure Fund, improving access to innovative healthcare in regional, rural and remote areas of NSW and ACT.
The expanded network of Clinical Trial Support Units across Northern, Southern and Western NSW local health districts will be supported by ACT Health, Canberra Health Services and partnerships with academic institutions, industry and the local community.