Optimal Care Clinical Indicators
WCMICS led the VICS statewide project to strengthen alignment with Australia’s Optimal Care Pathways (OCPs) by developing a consistent, data-driven approach to monitoring and reporting variation in cancer care.
This work supports health services to understand and address unwarranted variation in cancer care, ensuring that every Victorian receives the best possible treatment regardless of where they live or receive care.
The project established a suite of 21 clinical indicators across the cancer care continuum, drawing on existing statewide data sources including SCIP, CSPI, and VALT. Pilots conducted across multiple Integrated Cancer Services confirmed the indicators’ feasibility and value in identifying differences in access, timeliness, and quality of care.
A comprehensive implementation toolkit and reporting schedule were produced to support health services to embed the indicators into routine governance and continuous improvement processes.
This work provided a foundation for statewide
- benchmarking performance against statewide peers,
- improved transparency through the identification of unwarranted variation, and
- more consistent delivery of best-practice cancer care aligned to the Victorian Cancer Plan 2024–2028
This collaborative work demonstrates how shared data and coordinated action can improve cancer outcomes, equity, and system accountability across Victoria.
