Transitioning the in-patient ward and day oncology unit to a publicly operated model will improve access to safe, high quality, and equitable cancer care, enabling future investment in cancer services for our region. The Cancer Centre will continue to support both public and private patients.
An independent review identified this as the best way to deliver the greatest value for our regional community.
The in-patient unit and day oncology ward (formerly known as the Border Cancer Hospital) is now being operated by Albury Wodonga Health. The full range of services will continue to be available including inpatients beds, day-chemotherapy unit, radiotherapy, haematology, pharmacy and the Wellness Centre.
We treat all patients regardless of their insurance status, but if you and your doctor choose to enter care under the public system, this will remove your out-of-pocket costs for medical consultations and diagnostic services. For example, as a patient to the centre, you will be able to access diagnostic services (such as radiology and pathology) free of charge – provided you attend one of our public centres (I-Med, Wodonga Imaging or Dorevitch Pathology).
If you visit Albury Wodonga Health Cancer Specialist Outpatient Services, you will not be charged any additional fees such as co-payments or “gap” payments.
Patients also have increased access to care provided across the AWH services, including Allied Health. From day one of the transition occurring, we’ve been able to offer physiotherapy services, at no cost to patients, even on weekends.
Coming soon, visitors to the AWRCC will see that the main entrance to the centre will be open for free access (instead of the current intercom system) to the centre from 8am-5pm and will be welcomed by one of our friendly volunteers or administration officers.
Cancer centre beds will always be for cancer centre patients. Previously, there were cancer patients with complex needs being cared for within AWH in-patient wards, due to a restricted admission criteria at the AWRCC and previous staffing levels.
Now that AWH are operating the AWRCC in-patient beds, we intend to build and strengthen the capacity to ensure that more cancer patients can consistently access care within the AWRCC.
With regards to the use of Medical Ward 3, and in agreement with Ramsay Health Care, excess capacity at the cancer centre allowed AWH to utilise 9 beds for isolation purposes during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the cancer centre has continued to have spare capacity to this day, Ramsay Health Care continued to allow AWH to retain this space. Albury Wodonga Health have begun realigning patients with a cancer diagnosis to MW3 as beds become available, to ensure that all cancer patients are given the opportunity to receive care under the one roof.
Albury Wodonga Health invited and encouraged all current doctors from Border Medical Oncology and Albury Wodonga Cancer Care to continue to provide their services under the public health model at the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre. We encourage you to speak with your doctor if you have any questions about your continuity of care.
Cancer Specialist Outpatient Clinics have commenced under AWH Clinical Director of Cancer Services and Oncologist, Dr. Brett Hamilton’s direction. This will mean no out-of-pocket expenses for patients receiving outpatient services, including radiology and pathology services (provided patients utilise the public services through I-Med or Dorevitch Pathology).
We are preparing to open a full public outpatient service at the centre from September 2026 to improve access and equitable care for our community. Border Medical Oncology have been informed of these plans and will be relocating their services off-site. Moving consultations off-site does not prevent the oncologists from providing care at the AWRCC.
As of January 2026, Dr. Richard Eek has confirmed with Albury Wodonga Health that he will be relocating to West Albury and no longer providing services at AWH/AWRCC. If you have any queries in relation to this change, please contact Dr. Eek, directly.
Am I going to see a different doctor each week?
You will continue to receive continuity of care through this service from your Consultant. We recognise the importance of investing in our future workforce, and we will continue to provide training opportunities for Junior Medical Staff and Registrars, as has been the case for many years.
Patients choosing to utilise their insurance as an inpatient will have the opportunity to seek admission under the bed card of their preferred Consultant.
AWH is proud to be a training hospital, and we'll continue to provide training opportunities for our registrars to ensure we're developing the next generation of oncology and haematology clinicians.
Are people going to have to travel to Melbourne for their treatments? What about clinical trials?
Regrettably, there are three patients who are participating in clinical trials who will need to travel to ensure their treatment continues safely and without interruption. These individual cases are being managed by their treating specialists, and BMO Research Unit. Patient care is our absolute priority.
The full range of services will continue to be available including inpatients beds, day-chemotherapy unit, radiotherapy, haematology, pharmacy and the Wellness Centre. As it has always been, there are some specialised procedures that are best performed by specialist experts in Melbourne.
Our intention is to consider and work with clinicians to develop the service safely into the future in order to reduce any travel requirements in the future.
Albury Wodonga Health is working closely with clinical partners, and our clear intent is for clinical trials to continue at the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre in the future. As part of the transition to a public service model, the necessary governance, pharmacy, and clinical approvals must be finalised between BMO Research Unit and their relevant third-party contractors before trials can continue under new arrangements.
In the public healthcare model, patients and nurses benefit from the NSW Nurses EBA, which protects patient-staffing ratios, with set nursing hours per patient day. This is enshrined in the NSW Nurses EBA.
AWH has also increased the nursing hours, including an ‘In Charge Nurse’. For the first time in many years, an Oncology Clinical Nurse Educator will commence from 2 February 2026 who will work closely with AWH Clinical Education Unit, the Cancer Care Coordinators, and with our public partners at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre to build a bespoke nursing and allied health education program.
AWH will continue to work with relevant teams to continue to build time into our nurses’ rosters specifically for education and professional development opportunities.
We’re grateful to the many nursing and other staff at the Centre who have made the transition to join Albury Wodonga Health, allowing patients to continue seeing familiar faces while receiving quality care. The AWH Executive, senior leaders and other teams have been working closely with these staff since the 24 January 2026 to welcome them to the AWH team and support their transition to new and improved systems and processes.
We have been reaching out to patients about any changes to their care, however privacy regulations require the patient and prior healthcare provider to consent to share information with Albury Wodonga Health before we can make contact.
We note some former patients in remission have told media they didn’t receive communication from Albury Wodonga Health about their care – as they are in remission and no longer being treated by the centre, we have not spoken directly to them.
On the first morning of transition, all inpatients received a small welcome gift and a note from AWH informing them of the change and reassuring them that their care will continue, uninterrupted.
The community hasn’t been consulted on these changes – we helped build it; we deserve more information.
The community is rightly proud of the work they undertook to establish the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre, and their continued efforts to fundraise for vital services through the Trust.
We encourage the community to read the AWRCC newsletters on our website, and for patients to speak with their doctors about any concerns they have about their care. This is a staged, planned transition, with further significant planning and coordination already underway.
Consultation was undertaken by independent consultants, NOUS, during the review process, during which clinicians, nursing and allied health professionals and other third parties were engaged for feedback. This consultation led to the recommendations in the NOUS report of cancer services, which included the transition of some services back to a public model, for best outcomes and access for patients and the broader community.
Community consultation as a formal process is typically only undertaken where there is genuine opportunity for community to provide input, shaping what a project, construction, or design looks like. In the case of this transition, this is a contractual matter between AWH and Ramsay Health Care, a publicly listed business, and we’re very limited in how much we can involve the community in commercial-in-confidence discussions.
Will this change who can access the AWRCC?
Both private and public patients are welcome at the Cancer Centre if they are accepted by the relevant clinician for care.
The public health model will continue to make cancer care more accessible and equitable for all regional patients. You can access great care with just your Medicare card – no need for private insurance unless you choose to utilise this (in which case, there will be no out of pocket expenses incurred).
We’re here for you 365 days a year, free of charge, providing you the stability of care that only Australia’s public healthcare system can.