WCMICS Strategy in Action: Year 2 Priorities

Following the launch of the WCMICS Strategy 2024–2028, the first year focused on establishing foundations across the three strategic pillars: Equity, Optimal Care, and Improvement Capability.

Year 1 activities included scoping priority population needs, strengthening partnerships, launching the Workforce Quality Improvement Skills Program, and progressing work to improve data access and visualisation. These early activities have helped clarify where WCMICS can have the greatest impact in supporting member health services and the broader cancer sector.

Building on these foundations, Year 2 will focus on translating insights into action, progressing priority initiatives that strengthen equitable access to cancer care, reduce unwarranted variation across services, and support the workforce to lead improvement.

Equity: Translating insights into action
Improving equitable access to cancer care remains a core priority for WCMICS. In Year 1, regional scoping work examined the needs of several priority populations, including culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, First Nations peoples, and LGBTQI+ communities.

In Year 2, WCMICS will build on this work by:

• Extending equity scoping to include socioeconomic and disability cohorts
• Producing an annual Equity Impact Snapshot to highlight emerging issues and progress
• Delivering three CALD-focused improvement projects through the Grants Program

These activities aim to ensure equity insights translate into practical initiatives that improve access and care experiences for priority populations.

Optimal Care: Using data and collaboration to reduce variation
Supporting consistent, high-quality cancer care across the region is a central focus of the strategy.

Year 2 priorities will focus on improving the use of data and strengthening collaboration across health services to address unwarranted variation in cancer care pathways. Planned activities include:

• Progressing local cancer care dashboards to support service-level insights
• Establishing data sharing agreements with member health services
• Developing governance and refresh processes for ongoing dashboard use
• Supporting the embedding of priority clinical models of care, including survivorship initiatives and participation in the VICS Multidisciplinary Meeting (MDM) Quality Program
• Facilitating structured follow-up of variation identified through Optimal Care Summits

Through these initiatives, WCMICS aims to support clinicians and services with better information and collaboration mechanisms to drive improvement.

Improvement Capability: Supporting the workforce to lead change
Building the capability of the cancer workforce to undertake improvement work is a key enabler of the strategy.

Following strong engagement with the Workforce Quality Improvement Skills Program in Year 1, WCMICS will continue to expand improvement capability activities in Year 2. This includes:

• Continuing IGNITE improvement project rotations
• Delivering foundational quality improvement masterclasses
• Supporting local improvement projects and evaluation capability

Alongside this work, WCMICS will redesign its grants program to better support sustainable improvement efforts, align with the available funding envelope, and strengthen integration with sector priorities.

Working together to improve cancer care
These Year 2 actions will continue to be delivered in close partnership with member health services, Integrated Cancer Services across Victoria, and community stakeholders.

By building on the progress of Year 1 and focusing on practical, collaborative initiatives, WCMICS will continue to support the region’s health services to improve cancer care experiences and outcomes for people affected by cancer.