Member Spotlight – Patient Centred Cancer Care at GenesisCare

Guided by strong values and a commitment to partnering with patients, GenesisCare has built a care model that prioritises experience, innovation and continuous improvement.

In this Member Spotlight, we learn about their accreditation journey, the importance of small details in cancer care, and the value of embedding standards into everyday practice. 

1. Can you tell us about GenesisCare? 

GenesisCare is a proudly Australian-run cancer care provider, specialising in radiation therapy with a growing footprint in medical oncology, theranostics and personalised medicine. Our relentless pursuit for better care is reflected in our modern treatment techniques, technology and contemporary service experience. Our dedicated doctors and research team partner globally to be first movers in bringing clinical innovations to patients close to home. Around 35,000 people a year entrust us with their care across 50 locations nationally.  

  Pictured: The Patient Services team, Radiation Therapists, and Nurses from the GenesisCare Peninsula site 

2. What values guide your approach to delivering high-quality care across your centres? 

At GenesisCare, we believe care should be focused on the individual, not the condition. We offer a personalised cancer care experience, aiming to achieve the best possible clinical outcomes close to home. The most important thing to us is that we live our values (refer to diagram below) and stay true to our purpose every day. 

3. GenesisCare places great importance on listening and partnering with those who have lived experiences of cancer. Can you tell us about the Voice of Customer program and how it has helped improve the patient experience? 
At GenesisCare, we leave nothing to chance. We don’t want to miss an opportunity to improve, no matter how big or how small that change may be. So, we’ve built a framework to facilitate partnering with consumers. This framework is our ‘Voice of customer program’, which helps us understand what patients value and where we can improve. 

The Voice of Customer Program facilitates consumer partnership and co-design in the design, delivery, review and evaluation of our health service. Our patient satisfaction rating has gone from +76 to +94 NPS in the last decade by driving action from insights. 

Improvement initiatives range from installing self-service coffee stations in our waiting rooms, to sending patients a “what to expect” video via SMS prior to treatment, to improving our payment processes.  

4. Patients speak about the “GenesisCare difference” which include knowing patients by name, subsidised parking and short wait times for appointments. Why are these small details so important in the cancer care journey? 

Oncology is a high-emotion service. The very need for oncology invokes a variety of emotions in patients and their families. Even before their initial encounter with us, they may suffer anxiety, fear and other intense emotions. We strive to strengthen patients’ confidence, mitigate their anxiety and provide an excellent technical service by an extremely capable, professional and compassionate team. 

We believe it’s the details that make the difference. Little gestures and caring words can turn a negative experience into a surprisingly positive one. That’s what our patients tell us. 

Being a private provider, people are paying an out-of-pocket cost to come to us so the experience must meet their expectations. People are more empowered than ever and often do their own research online. They also compare providers to find the qualities that matter most to them, which makes meeting rising expectations essential. When patients experience clear, two-way communication, they become partners in their own care. 

 
5. Was there anything you learnt from your last assessment with ACHS?   
Catering to the needs of individuals is fundamental to the delivery of quality health care. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander concepts of health and illness differ from those of other populations; therefore, it is essential to understand and address their specific needs in the way we engage with and support them throughout their care. This principle also applies to other population groups who experience health inequities within our society, including individuals from LGBTIQA+ communities and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. While we have taken deliberate steps to better identify, inform, and include these populations, we also recognise that this is an ongoing process, and there is always more we can do to strengthen inclusivity, cultural safety, and equity in the care we provide. 

Pictured from left to right: Members of the development team, Matt Afshar and Charles Wheeler, Operations Manager Marg Cokelek, General Manager Brendan Foley, Centre Leader of GenesisCare Peninsula, Luke Williams, and GenesisCare Radiation Oncologist and Clinical Management Committee Chair, Dr Mario Guerrieri. 

6. Do you have any advice for other ACHS Members on their accreditation journey? 

The National Standards have become more than a checklist for us – they’re a benchmark we actively aspire to exceed. By weaving these standards in our policies, procedures and operational practices, they’ve become part of how we work, not something we ‘do’ for accreditation.  

We’ve found real value in partnering with ACHS throughout the journey. Their guidance, resources, and collaborative approach have helped us interpret the standards in practical ways and apply them meaningfully across our services. It feels less like an external requirement and more like a shared commitment to delivering the safest, highest quality care. 

Our biggest advice to other members is to treat the standards as a genuine framework for excellence, not just a compliance task. When they’re embedded into daily practice—and when you view ACHS as a partner in improvement rather than an auditor—they become a powerful driver of continuous learning, alignment, and better experiences for patients, clinicians, and staff. 

Accreditation becomes far more meaningful—and far less daunting—when it’s simply the natural outcome of how your organisation strives for high quality care every day. 

Thank you to the team at GenesisCare for sharing your insights.