This workshop was designed to enhance the ability of nurses to recognise, assess and respond to deteriorating patients in different clinical environments. It explored the recognition and management of the deteriorating patient in melanoma care, equipping practice nurses with the skills to confidently assess and respond to acute clinical changes across inpatient, outpatient and community settings. Participants examined the causes of acute deterioration and oncological emergencies specific to melanoma, including treatment-related toxicities and complex comorbid presentations. The workshop emphasised early identification of subtle warning signs, timely escalation of care, and comprehensive assessment techniques such as sepsis recognition. Learners also considered the clinical use of structured assessment tools, including telehealth triage approaches such as the UKONS tool, to support safe, evidence-informed decision-making when managing unwell patients remotely.

Contributors

Speakers

Speaker

Dr Polly Dufton

Clinical Lead for Specialist Lung Cancer Nurses, Lung Foundation Australia; Deputy Cancer Nursing Lead, VCCC Alliance

Dr Polly Dufton is an experienced cancer nurse with over 14 years of experience across acute and ambulatory cancer settings. Among other advanced practice nursing roles, she spent more than nine years as a Clinical Nurse Consultant in a Symptom and Urgent Review Clinic (SURC) at Austin Health in Melbourne, where she provided advanced assessment and management of treatment-related symptoms for patients receiving systemic anti-cancer therapy. Alongside her clinical work, she has been involved in evaluating health service use and nurse-led models of care, including SURCs and geriatric oncology models. She is currently the Clinical Lead for Specialist Lung Cancer Nurses at Lung Foundation Australia and the Deputy Cancer Nursing Lead at the VCCC Alliance.

Speaker

Alison Lemoh

ICU Outreach Nurse Consultant, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre; PhD Fellow, National Centre for Infections in Cancer (NCIC), University of Melbourne

Alison Lemoh is a PhD Fellow with the National Centre for Infections in Cancer and the University of Melbourne. Clinically, she works as an ICU Outreach Nurse Consultant at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. She completed her postgraduate critical care studies in 2005 while working at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, before going on to complete the Graduate Certificate in Cancer Nursing at Peter Mac and the University of Melbourne. She was awarded an Australian Legion of Ex-Servicemen and Women scholarship by the Australian Nurses Memorial Centre to complete her Master of Advanced Nursing Practice. Her PhD investigates the role of nurses and nursing leadership in the early recognition and management of sepsis across metropolitan, rural/regional and remote Australian healthcare settings. It also explores how clinical team dynamics, cultural and linguistic diversity among staff, and psychological safety in organisational culture affect how nurses communicate concern and escalate care in response to patient deterioration.

Speaker

Laura O'Driscoll

Clinical Nurse Consultant, Melanoma Institute Australia

Laura has a background in medical-surgical oncology nursing, having worked at the Mater Hospital for eight years before moving to Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA). For the past year she has worked at MIA as a Clinical Nurse Consultant, continuing her focus on delivering specialised, patient-centred cancer care.

Speaker

Rebecca Biviano

Clinical Nurse Consultant, Medical Oncology, Melanoma Institute Australia

Rebecca is an oncology nurse with eight years of clinical practice in cancer care. For the past five years, she has worked at Melanoma Institute Australia as a Clinical Nurse Consultant in Medical Oncology, where she is involved in the delivery of specialised care for patients with melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers.

Speaker

Sue Smith

Consumer Representative

Sue is a consumer representative whose lived experience has helped inform the development of the Melanoma Nursing Education Program. Sue received treatment for a rare and aggressive type of melanoma of the lower lip, called desmoplastic neurotropic melanoma. Her treatment has included surgery, radiotherapy and medication as part of a clinical trial. Sue became a consumer representative so that she could help educate people on different types of melanoma, help influence the way people with cancer are treated by highlighting the impact a cancer diagnosis can have on the whole person and their family, and advocate for all patients to receive holistic care. Along with her many contributions as a consumer, Sue is a Registered Nurse working in the community.

Speaker

Michael Cooney

Cancer Nurse Practitioner, Northern Hospital

Michael has worked with people affected by cancer as a clinician, educator, manager and leader for more than 35 years, with experience spanning inpatient and outpatient settings in both public and private healthcare systems. An endorsed Cancer Nurse Practitioner, he holds a Masters qualification in Cancer Nursing and an additional Masters qualification in Business Leadership. Michael's current role as the Oncology/Haematology Nurse Practitioner at The Northern Hospital in Epping, Victoria, officially and unofficially includes providing direct advanced clinical nursing care, care coordination, patient advocacy, treatment monitoring, patient education and coaching, counselling, medical education and training, and input into the strategic development of Cancer Services. Michael has won numerous Quality Improvement Project grants and used these to establish programs such as the Symptom Urgent Review Clinic (SURC) and a new dedicated support service for patients on oral monotherapies, TOAST (Treatment with Oral Anticancer Systemic Therapies).

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