ECORRA Trial
Equitable Cancer Outcomes across Rural and Remote Australia (ECORRA) Trial; establishing a nationally scalable model to embed best practice cancer care into rural health services.
The ECORRA Trial will co-design and embed an implementation package to support rural and remote cancer services to align with the Optimal Care Pathways as recommended in the 2023 Australian Cancer Plan. As a partner in the ECORRA Trial, BSWRICS is committed to collaborating throughout the project including participating in the co-design of the resources and the trial to implement optimal care in South West regional health services.
Further information
In November 2025, the ECORRA Trial launched the Equitable Cancer Outcomes for Rural and Remote Communities series in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific. The comprehensive 5-paper series reveals that people in rural and remote areas face significant barriers to evidence-based care and there are historical policy gaps that have underserved rural communities. The series proposes:
- A new global framework for measuring rural health equity
- Place-based implementation strategies designed for rural contexts
- System-level reforms that genuinely partner with rural communities
- Policy changes to prioritise geographical equity in cancer care
In February 2026, BSWRICS Co-Clinical Director, Theresa Hayes, was excited to welcome the ECORRA Trial research team, Anna Ugalde, Camille Short and Hannah Jongebloed, to South West Healthcare as part of the ECORRA-Trial research project.
The visit was a great opportunity for the research team to hear the enablers and barriers to timely cancer care for people in the region. It was an invaluable chance for the team to meet with clinicians and engage with consumers to hear their lived experience. The trip allowed all involved to share insights about their services and explore how we will work together in the project’s upcoming co-design phase.
The ECORRA Trial will co-design an evidence-based implementation package to embed the Optimal Care Pathways across rural health services in South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland.
‘We look forward to the upcoming co-design phase of the project with South West Healthcare as one of the regional sites’ – A.Prof Theresa Hayes, BSWRICS Co-Clinical Director
