Northern Blood & Cancer Care brings specialist physicians into the same multidisciplinary setting as its haematology and medical oncology services. This gives patients access to experienced physicians who can assess medical problems that sit alongside, complicate or are independent of a blood disorder or cancer diagnosis.
People receiving cancer or haematology treatment often have other medical conditions that influence how safely treatment can be given and how well they feel during recovery. Infection, frailty, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney or lung problems and medication interactions can all affect treatment decisions. Having specialist physicians working alongside the cancer and blood specialists allows these issues to be considered as part of the broader clinical picture rather than as isolated problems.
Specialist physician consultations are also available for patients whose medical problem is not related to cancer or a blood disorder. Northern Blood & Cancer Care’s location within Northern Private Hospital provides a convenient specialist setting for assessment, investigation and coordination with hospital or tertiary services when these are required.
The specialist physician services currently available through Northern Blood & Cancer Care include:
Our infectious diseases service provides specialist assessment and management of acute, recurrent, chronic and difficult-to-treat infections. This includes infections in people with weakened immune systems, diabetic foot infections, tuberculosis, hepatitis and HIV-related conditions, as well as antimicrobial stewardship and complex antibiotic management. Infectious diseases expertise can be particularly valuable for patients receiving cancer or haematology treatment, where infection risk, immune suppression and treatment-related complications may require close coordination with the broader specialist team.
Interventional radiology uses medical imaging to guide minimally invasive diagnostic and treatment procedures. Through collaboration with our interventional radiology partner WIRES, Northern Blood & Cancer Care can coordinate procedures such as image-guided biopsies, vascular access and other interventions that may form part of cancer investigation or treatment. These techniques can often provide important diagnostic information or treatment while avoiding more invasive surgery. The need for interventional radiology is determined according to the patient’s diagnosis, imaging findings and overall treatment plan.
Northern Blood & Cancer Care’s model allows specialist physicians to communicate directly with haematologists and medical oncologists, while coordinating with other treating clinicians when required. This is particularly useful when infection or another medical condition may affect cancer treatment, immune function, medication choice, hospital admission or recovery.
Where care needs to extend beyond the clinic, Northern Blood & Cancer Care’s specialists have links with Northern Private Hospital, Northern Health and other Melbourne health services. The aim is to make specialist input easier to coordinate while ensuring each condition remains managed by the clinician with the appropriate expertise.
Northern Blood & Cancer Care brings together a highly experienced team of haematologists, medical oncologists and specialist physicians, with consultations available at Northern Private Hospital in Epping.
Contact our team to arrange an appointment or discuss a referral.
