Logistics near major treatment centres

Accommodation near treatment centres

If you are travelling from a regional or rural area, or even from another suburb when treatment is intensive and daily, staying close to your treatment centre reduces exhaustion and makes it easier to manage side effects.

Most major treatment hospitals have social workers who can connect you with affordable accommodation options nearby. Ask at your first appointment or contact the hospital's social work department directly. Many hospitals have a list of approved accommodation providers with reduced rates for patients.

Several organisations provide low-cost accommodation specifically for people receiving treatment away from home. Cancer Council is one of them, organised state by state rather than nationally. Some states run their own lodges. Others subsidise or partner with accommodation near treatment centres. There is no single national listing, so calling 13 11 20 is the quickest way to find what operates near where you are being treated. Many individual hospitals have their own patient accommodation facilities. Leukaemia Foundation, Ovarian Cancer Australia, and other condition-specific organisations also have accommodation programs.

Do not assume accommodation is unavailable or too expensive before asking. Programs that most people do not know exist are often waiting to be used.

Transport assistance for rural and regional patients

If you live outside a major city and are travelling for treatment, you may be eligible for financial assistance with transport and accommodation costs.

Each Australian state and territory has a patient transport assistance scheme. In Victoria, it is the Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (PTAS). In New South Wales, the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS). In Queensland, the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme (PTSS). In Western Australia, the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS). In South Australia, the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme (PATS). In Tasmania, the Patient Travel Assistance Scheme (PTAS).

These schemes provide subsidies for travel and accommodation for patients who need to travel significant distances (usually more than 100km) to access specialist medical treatment not available locally. Ask the social worker at your treating hospital, or contact your state health department, to find out whether you qualify and how to apply.

If you are a veteran or their dependant, the Department of Veterans Affairs may cover transport and accommodation separately from state schemes.

Managing a regular treatment schedule

A treatment schedule involving multiple appointments per week can be physically and logistically demanding, particularly when you are already unwell. Planning ahead reduces the strain.

Ask the treatment centre whether they can batch appointments on the same day where possible, to minimise the number of trips. Ask about the best times to arrive given parking or transport, and whether there are patient priority spaces or services available.

If you are driving to appointments, ask your treating team at what point side effects from treatment may mean you should not be driving. Plan alternative transport arrangements before you need them, not after.

Many day oncology units and treatment centres have volunteers who can provide transport to and from treatment. Ask the social worker or ward clerk about volunteer driver programs operating in your area.

Parking and costs at treatment centres

Parking at major hospitals can be expensive and scarce, particularly in inner-city locations. For regular treatment, this adds up quickly.

Ask the hospital's patient services team whether there are reduced or free parking arrangements for people undergoing regular treatment. Many hospitals have a patient parking concession available that is not widely advertised. Some hospitals in inner-city areas also validate parking for day oncology patients.

If parking is genuinely unmanageable, ask the social worker whether there is a transport assistance arrangement. Many hospitals have shuttle buses from nearby parking stations or train stations during peak treatment hours.

Keep your parking receipts and any out-of-pocket treatment costs. The general tax offset for medical expenses ended in 2019, so this is not about your tax return, but a clear record of what has been spent is often needed for patient transport assistance schemes and other illness-related financial support you may apply for.

Support services at treatment centres

Major treatment centres offer more than clinical care. Many have dedicated support services that patients use far too little.

Most have a social work team that can help with financial support, community services, accommodation, transport, and emotional support. Ask to be referred to a social worker early, not just in a crisis.

Many centres have a psychologist, counsellor, or psychiatrist who sees patients and carers. This is normal and common. Ask whether this service is available and how to access it.

Some centres have a financial counsellor who can help with managing the costs of treatment, Centrelink applications, and other financial impacts of illness. This service is free and can be very useful if you are managing a significant reduction in income alongside treatment costs. Services Australia (servicesaustralia.gov.au) also lists the support payments available to people who are seriously ill and unable to work, including Sickness Allowance and Carer Payment.

Chaplaincy services are available at most major hospitals and are not limited to any particular religion or belief system. Many people find them useful for quiet company, pastoral support, and non-clinical conversation during a hard time.

Looking after the person who brings you

If someone accompanies you to treatment, their needs matter too. Long hours in a waiting room, watching someone they love go through treatment, and managing their own emotions alongside the practical demands is exhausting.

Ask the centre whether carers can stay with you during treatment or whether there is a carer room or support space nearby. Many day oncology units have comfortable waiting areas where carers can rest, eat, or work while treatment is running.

Carer Gateway (carergateway.gov.au) provides free support services for carers throughout Australia, including counselling, respite, and peer support. If the person accompanying you is a regular carer, this is worth knowing about early.

Some treatment sessions are long. Carers often benefit from having something to do, somewhere comfortable to sit, and ideally a coffee nearby. Ask the treatment centre what facilities are available for the people who come with their patients.

Telehealth options

Not every appointment needs to be in person. Ask your specialist team which review appointments, follow-up consultations, or support services can be conducted via telehealth. For people travelling significant distances or managing fatigue from treatment, a telehealth consultation can replace a 4-hour round trip for an appointment that takes 15 minutes.

Telehealth has expanded significantly in Australia since 2020. Most specialists and GPs are now set up for video consultations. Ask whether telehealth is an option for any appointment that does not require a physical examination or procedure.