Individually prescribed exercise and rehabilitation is safe, can improve cancer treatment tolerance and help to speed up recovery. It can also reduce the risk of cancer progression and recurrence.
The Oncology Rehabilitation team offers a variety of interventions before, during and after cancer treatment to reduce the impact and side effects of treatment. This includes:
- Individual and group appointments
- An eight week oncology rehabilitation program (twice weekly exercise and shared discussion based on the Cancer Council Victoria’s education programs).
- Physiotherapy, exercise physiology, occupational therapy and other allied health services
The Oncology Rehabilitation team has strong links with Cancer Services and the Andrew Love Cancer Centre.
Conditions seen
Barwon Health offers an Oncology prehabilitation and rehabilitation service for people with a cancer diagnosis.
Conditions not seen
Barwon Health Oncology Rehabilitation Program does not accept referrals for the following:
- Non-cancer related referrals.
- Assessment for the purpose of Disability Support Pension (DSP) or National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) applications.
How do I access this service
To be seen in this clinic you need to be referred by a health professional, your GP, another specialist doctor or your Barwon Health doctor.
We are unable to see you in our clinics without a referral.
Wait time
All requests for specialist clinic appointments are scheduled according to the patient’s clinical need. Clinicians assess whether an appointment is urgent or routine, based on information provided in the referral.
Barwon Health aims to see all ‘urgent’ referrals within 30 days. Our wait times for patients who are categorised as ‘routine’ are more variable, depending on the demand for our services.
The projected wait time listed below are only estimated timeframes for routine (non-urgent) patients.
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For Health Professionals
State-referral criteria may apply for conditions under this specialty requiring further assessment and management. Referring clinicians are encouraged to utilise Western Victoria Community HealthPathways for referral guidelines and requirements for all conditions.
Complete the specialist clinics referral template and send via:
- ReferralNet
- Email: [email protected]
- Fax: 03 4215 6376 (McKellar Community Rehabilitation Centre)
Referral templates for Barwon Health services are available for importing into Best Practice, Medical Director or ZedMed. Please see the Referral templates page for the most up-to-date forms.
If you do not use the above clinical software, please complete a referral letter on your practice/health service letterhead, ensuring all required referral information is included.
If you need to contact us regarding the templates, please contact the GP Liaison Unit on 03 4215 8845 or [email protected].
For patients who require reassessment, a new referral should be sent through. To facilitate earlier access, the new referral must contain the following information:
- State the referral is an update for a current patient
- Date of original referral
- Reason for requesting a review of referral (e.g. deterioration in clinical condition, pathology)
The referrer will be notified of the outcome of the re-triage process.
GPs or referring doctors wishing to discuss the triage of their patient’s referral, or who require additional information, please ring the Oncology Rehabilitation team 03 4215 3830.
Page last updated: September 9, 2025