As the adage goes, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

And despite its commanding hillside presence, the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer (FCIC) represents much more than architectural excellence, says Michael Fitzgerald.

“It’s a great environment, however the patients don’t really appreciate the physical space, what they appreciate most is the care they receive from the clinicians involved in their treatment,” Michael, FCIC’s Nurse Practitioner – Medical Oncology, says.

“If the building has a legacy, it’s that it’s the people who make a difference to the patient experience,”

“The opportunity to provide excellent cancer care across the continuum… that’s not what the building does, it’s the people who strive to deliver that care within the building.”

Hollistic patient care

Michael has been an instrumental part of the Centre since its inception. He briefed the builders on the design elements it needed from a clinical perspective, recalling “lots and lots of meetings for lots and lots of years with lots and lots of people”.

With its curved glass and copper coloured aluminium façade, the architectural concept seamlessly blends a space at the forefront of world-class cancer research with a place of healing, wellbeing, and hope, next door to Flinders Medical Centre (FMC) in Adelaide’s south.

It’s this very premise, Michael says, that was the catalyst leading to the official sod turning back in January 2010, attended by cancer survivor Lance Armstrong. The Centre incorporates Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG Cancer Research Centre and the Australian Cancer Research Foundation Cancer Prevention Unit.

“The concept was to develop a standalone centre with clinical and research capabilities – a place where patients could receive their treatment but with co-located research facilities so that clinicians and researchers could work collaboratively to improve cancer outcomes.

“Researchers are heavily involved in what they’re doing from a research perspective but they may be disconnected from patients, so the idea was to stimulate collaboration and other research avenues that might not have happened otherwise.”

Since the chemotherapy day unit moved across to the FCIC from the neighbouring FMC in 2012, it has almost doubled its capacity to approximately 19 infusion chairs following a second round of major building works to keep up with demand.

“The space itself is fantastic, it’s very practical in terms of managing patients because there’s ample space between the treatment chairs.

“The nurses also have the ability to see most of the chairs from the nurses’ station which was part of the initial design brief.”

Life after cancer

Dusk falls on another busy day at the chemo clinic; some patients giving a final thanks to the infusion suite nurses as they complete their last round of treatment. They ring the bell with excitement and an air of sadness that their relationship with the infusion staff is coming to an end.

That's where another story begins – the story of survivorship.

Survivorship, Michael says, is at the heart of the Centre, setting patients up for success as they navigate life after treatment.

As the FCIC marks its 10th year in 2022, the wheels are in motion to expand survivorship services as an integrated facility on the ground-floor, in the space known as the Wellness Centre.

“We’ve had a survivorship clinic for many years; we’re trying to expand that work with a more multidisciplinary approach, referring patients to specific specialists, whether that’s a dietitian, physiotherapist, social worker or psychologist, after they’ve completed their cancer treatment.

“It’s about trying to meet the many unmet needs that cancer survivors experience.

“The concept of our Centre provides leadership in cancer survivorship – it’s a highlight of this building that distinguishes it from other centres in SA.”