More Nurses, More Care

The year in review

Hi everyone, as many of you know I was honoured to play in one of the all-time great Aussie cricket teams but we never took our success for granted. Our philosophy was to ‘never settle’ for what we had so we were always ready for the next test. That’s exactly how we approach our challenges at the McGrath Foundation. While we’ve achieved so much thanks to your amazing support, we’re determined to deliver on our aim of providing a McGrath Foundation Breast Cancer Nurse to everyone who needs one.

Our focus in the coming years is to get a better understanding of how we can provide more care to more people. With over 19,000 people diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, we know it’s not going to be easy. But when I look at the incredible 1,438 fundraising events, 670 volunteers, 85 corporate partners and the amazing major donors who support the Foundation. I am so proud that we’ve been able to fund 9 more McGrath Breast Care Nurses this year and support so many families experiencing breast cancer. And I know that we will never rest on our laurels as we continue to reach for our goal of every person experiencing breast cancer having access to a McGrath Breast Care Nurse, for free…no matter where they live. Thank you for making a difference.

A word from our CEO

“My McGrath Breast Care Nurse helped me break down the barriers of understanding and doubt at every stage of my breast cancer experience. She makes me feel safe.”

Sharon Neeson, NSW

Why we care

When I talk about what the McGrath Foundation does people are still surprised to learn that we fund McGrath Breast Care Nurses. It makes me realise that while so many people know the Foundation, they don’t know exactly what we do. It’s important we keep telling people that the money they provide allows us to fund professional supportive care for families dealing with breast cancer. At the end of the day care is at the very heart of everything we do.

Last year, your support meant we were able add another 9 specialist McGrath Breast Care Nurses to the amazing nurses you see here. That means we now have 135 McGrath Breast Care Nurses.

We know the importance of continuous care; that is the same person supporting you from the start, with you at each step, all the way through. We know it makes a difference. That’s why we aim to provide patients with access to a McGrath Breast Care Nurse as soon as possible. We know from independent research that treatment outcomes are improved when people have their first contact with a nurse within the first week of diagnosis (see full report).

Having one point of contact is so reassuring; someone to turn to, someone to outline the choices, answer questions, liaise with specialists and provide expert advice. It goes a long way to helping patients still be the mother, daughter, sister, friend and even husband they want to be. Just like Sarah Baxter and her family.

Sarah Baxter, QLD

“Talking to Rikki [myBreast Care Nurse] is different than talking to a doctor. It’s not clinical with her, it’s more personal. You can talk about emotional things with her, like the family, especially the boys.”

Over 19,000 women and more than 150 men were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019.

135

McGrath Breast Care Nurses

You’ve helped us fund 9 more specialist McGrath Breast Care Nurses in 2019 financial year.

10,000+

patients supported

Our 135 nurses across the country have meant that you’ve helped us make a difference to over 10,000 people’s lives this year.

75,000+

families supported

Thanks to you, over 900 more families now have access to the care and support of a McGrath Breast Care Nurse; that’s over 75,000 families supported since 2005.

180,000+

hours of care provided

Your generosity has enabled us to fund 182,108 hours of care from our McGrath Breast Cancer Nurses.

Helen / Jane (Newcastle)

Catrina / Danielle (North Shore)

Samantha / Jen (Bankstown)

“Having somebody like Helen to help me through this whole experience, she’s just made it so much easier to deal with and she’s been really good support to me.”

Jane Starr, NSW

We still need more nurses

Despite all the amazing work and support the number of people diagnosed with breast cancer continues to grow, so we still need more nurses. In fact breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in Australia, with around 19,000 women and over 150 men diagnosed every year. As people become more aware about breast cancer, and how to detect it earlier, the number of diagnoses, as well as survival rates, continue to grow. This means that thousands of families in Australia are still in need of a McGrath Breast Care Nurse; a gap of around 120 nurses. That’s why, for the next few years, we’re focusing on closing that gap. More nurses, more care.

“You’re being moved around specialists on tight schedules, they don’t have a lot of time and they get straight to the point. With Jo, my Breast Care Nurse it wasn’t rushed. I was able to take my time talking about results. She’s the glue that holds the whole thing together.”

Amber Cuthbert, VIC

You should all be so proud of what you’ve achieved

Wow! Is it really 11 years since the first Pink Test at the SCG? I’m amazed at how quickly that time’s gone. But on behalf of the McGrath Foundation I’d like to say a big thank you to our dedicated community of volunteers, corporate partners, along with all the fans at the Pink Test who turn the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) pink every year to show their support for people experiencing breast cancer. This year was extra special in that, the 2019 Pink Test – Jane McGrath Day at the Sydney Cricket Ground won Event of the Year at the global Stadium Business Awards in Manchester, England. I’m so proud of what this event has become and you should be too.

But it’s not all about cricket, we have 85 devoted Corporate Partners, a number of major donors as well thousands of regular givers who are the lifeblood of the organisation. Not forgetting our amazing community fundraisers and Pink Up Your Town committees and the generous people who give us one off donations. What I’ve realised over the years is that every piece of support makes a difference, it all means that we can fund more McGrath Breast Care Nurses and more families get the care & support they need.

$1.3m

Raised at Pink Test

1,438

Fundraising events

829

Pink Stumps Day events

670

Volunteers

Pink up your towns

$2.96

Corporate Partner Support

Where your money goes

We work hard to ensure as much of your money goes directly to fund our nurses. This year over 70 cents in every dollar given was invested into McGrath Breast Care Nurses. The remaining money helps support the team of experts who manage the Foundation or is invested in strategic fundraising efforts that will allow us to earn more money in the long run, to fund more nurses.

As has always been the case I don’t receive any money from the Foundation and nor do any of the board members.

Spend

We’re proud to have increased spend on our Mission in FY19 while reducing our administration costs.

Revenue

Our focus in FY19 has been on pursuing revenue opportunities that provide a strong return on investment (ROI).

Vision for the future

As we continue to bring on more nurses to close the gap, we are also looking at our future. We are considering how we can have an even greater impact. How can we help others going through cancer. We will never stop supporting McGrath Breast Cancer Nurses, but who else needs this support and how can we help get it to them in the future. There’s a lot of work to be done, but this is a team who won’t take anything for granted.

We have been developing a global best practice in the way care is delivered. A model that ensures all our nurses today and in the future are providing the best possible care to each individual family. It’s been a lot of work with a lot of partners. We look forward to sharing this model in the coming months. It will help to ensure consistently high quality care and support for all patients.

The McGrath Foundation team won’t settle, we will continue to look for ways to ensure more people have life changing access of a McGrath Breast Care Nurse.

Thank you so much. I’m honoured by the scale of support the McGrath Foundation receives. As we head into 2020 I’d like to recognise all of our partners and supporters, and say, in all sincerity, that without you none of what we do would be possible.

Whether you’re involved through local or federal Government, as a corporate partner, major donor, regular giver or community fundraiser, your incredible efforts have meant over 900 families have received the life changing support of a McGrath Breast Care Nurse, for free.

Thank you so much for all your support…you are making all the difference.