Episode 2: Hayley Fairless and Brock Ditton

Brock Ditton, Site Manager, Icon Cancer Centre Cairns, is an experienced radiation therapist, leading the delivery of cancer care in a regional setting across Cairns’ two radiation oncology centres. As a passionate patient advocate with a belief in the team’s ability to affect real change in the community not just through frontline treatments, but also through various engagement initiatives, his commitment to quality improvement is steadfast.

The most prominent of these initiatives is the work underway for First Nations peoples, to be more inclusive and targeted in addressing the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and improving the education and capability of the radiation therapy team to sustainably Close the Gap in healthcare. Brock is most proud of opening two new Icon cancer centres in North Queensland, alongside amazing teams and generous communities, to meaningfully drive health outcomes for the better.

Hayley Fairless, radiation therapist, Icon Cancer Centre Cairns: Hayley’s clinical experience gained from regional centres ignited her passion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. Since her employment with Icon Cairns, Hayley’s desire to contribute to the improvement of First Nations health has led her to join the Indigenous employee led inclusion group (ELIG) and to secure a research assistant role in the project, Collaboration and Communication in Cancer Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is through these initiatives and staff education that Hayley hopes to create lasting enhancements to patient experiences and step closer to achieving health equity and Closing the Gap.