Working where it matters most

16 Aug 2024

Despite working independently in his own practice medical oncologist Dr Cam McLaren enjoys the camaraderie he feels working alongside St John of God Health Care colleagues and caregivers – so much so, he cites it as being one of the main reasons he chooses to consult exclusively within the organisation’s hospital network.

“Working on my own can be a very isolating experience at times but the staff at St John of God are very supportive and certainly make me feel like part of a team even though I don’t actually officially belong to one,” jokes Dr Cam.

It takes more than an oncologist to meet the varying needs of cancer patients, and it is especially difficult when a patient becomes terminal and is approaching end-of-life care. While Dr Cam is well versed in managing the medical side of his patient’s diagnoses, he is the first to admit that in order to provide the individual care needed, he relies upon the Values of St John of God Health Care to deliver treatment in a way that best aligns with his own personal beliefs and professional approach.

“For example, a lot of stuff needs to happen in cases where treatment options have been exhausted and a patient decides they would prefer to pass away in the comfort of their own home, surrounded by their loved ones,” says Dr Cam.

“There is such a short window of time available to ensure a decision like that can be supported safely and efficiently. Oftentimes, unfortunately, hospitals are unable to prioritise coordinating the team needed to facilitate such a request before a patient becomes too unstable to be moved.”

Dr Cam explains that it takes the combined effort of caregivers, physios, occupational therapists, doctors and family members to not only enable a transition home, but specifically for it to occur within the limited timeframe available to do so.

“Each step in the method of assessment and management of logistics can delay the process and things can become very unsafe, very quickly for patients,” he admits.

“The last thing you want is for a patient to pass away en route in an ambulance without the people they need around them or in the place they are hoping to be when it happens.

“There’s a tendency within the medical community when someone is really sick, to say the person’s situation is best managed in hospital. Even from a doctor’s perspective — it is difficult to relinquish control over their care, knowing that you and their care team are best suited to provide the best medical care to them.

“However, it is fair to say that in times like these it is not actually the medical care that’s needed or wanted the most by the patient at that point. And for that reason alone, I am grateful for the support I receive from St John of God Health Care to tailor care in a way that sits well with my own expectations and is in the best interests of my patient,” states Dr Cam.

“Because this organisation hires well, they employ the right people who have a good, individual approach to what a person needs — even if that breaks away from traditional methods of hospital care,” says Dr Cam, adding that St John of God Health Care is dedicated to ascertaining what is best for the patient and goes out of its way to give it to them.

While this focus enables St John of God Berwick Hospital to differentiate itself from standard practices, Dr Cam does not operate strictly within the confinements of what is expected of him professionally either. As was the case when Dr Cam met Hayley Fyfield — a 40-year-old mother with limited options available to fight her cancer diagnosis.

“Hayley was pretty much dying when she presented to me for care. She had a very nasty breast cancer that didn’t play by the rules. Cases like hers are rare but we generally expect to be able to treat this cancer well enough to prolong life by three to seven years in most cases.”

“Unfortunately for Hayley her cancer transformed very aggressively and while we couldn’t do anything to better tackle her situation, we were able to buy her an extra 16 months through the specialised care provided that addressed her individual needs.”

“Kirsten (CEO of Breast Cancer Network Australia) commented to me that in her time with BCNA she has rarely seen an oncologist attend a funeral,” said Paul Fyfield, Hayley’s husband — who added that Kirsten “has vast experience in helping people navigate the medical system when dealing with their cancer treatment and was so impressed with everything Dr Cam and the team at St John of God Berwick Hospital did for us.”

“Every time we lose someone, it’s significant,” says Dr Cam. “But when it’s someone so young, leaving behind a family with little kids, dying before their parents … it really stands out. The fact that we couldn’t do much after having no response from a few different approaches, it was hard not to recognise the magnitude of their situation.”

Dr Cam admitted that he really connected with Paul and Hayley. And while he understood that attending the funeral of a patient is not common practice among medical professionals, he simply explained that he felt very grateful in having an organisation like St John of God Health Care support him in choosing to deliver a style of care that is important to him, even if at times it strays from the norm.

“I tread the line of professional care delicately. And I was pleased, but not at all surprised, to see other caregivers from the hospital at Hayley’s funeral also. I mean we see a lot of our patients on a weekly basis – I don’t even see my closest friends that often,” Dr Cam points out.

When it became clear that Hayley’s passing would soon be inevitable and her wish to die at home was communicated, Dr Cam said, “everybody pulled up stumps and worked both tirelessly and unitedly to make it happen.”

The effort was not lost on Paul and his young family. Soon after, Hayley passed away at home with Paul holding her hand. Paul contacted Dr Cam to say he was immensely grateful for the care his whole family had received, also acknowledging the hospital’s offer to fund counselling sessions for himself and their children in the aftermath of her death.

“At the funeral — to the many people there with only standing room left available — Paul spoke glowingly about the care Hayley had received through St John of God Health Care, even thanking individual carers in the process,” shares Dr Cam.

“This is why I won’t work anywhere else. I just haven’t felt that heightened sense of connection in any other place I’ve worked so far.

“I know that there is a balance to be found between running a financially viable hospital and providing individually focused care — but when a choice has to be made — in my experience St John of God Health Care has always sided with what constitutes best patient care every single time.”