Background
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre is a comprehensive cancer institute in Melbourne, Australia. The wellbeing centre is for patients and carers to relax and connect with supportive care services. It is the entry point for over 16 programs aiming to address the social determinants of health. To guide operations and program design, we assessed Wellbeing Centre visitors over the past two years.
Methods
In April/May 2024 and 2025, we conducted a two-week visitor assessment, recording entry times and numbers, and surveying a random sample on demographics and centre usage (2024, n=201. 2025, n=199).
Impact on practice
The total number of visitors in the sample period increased 9.7%, from 1,276 in 2024 to 1,400 in 2025. The mean average visitors per day increased 9.4% to 140 people per day. In 2024, the day of centre entry was skewed towards later in the week. This trend was reversed in 2025. Across both years, most people entered earlier in the day, and almost all by 2pm (2024, 81.9%. 2025, 83.6%). Across both years, 58% of visitors were patients, and approximately 40% carers. Self-reported duration of stay was longer in 2025, with 56% of respondents indicating they would stay in the centre for longer than 1 hour, compared to 31% in 2024. Most common reasons for visiting the centre were “Resting between appointments” (2025, 55%), “Supporting a patient” (2025, 19%), and “Use kitchen facilities” (2025, 17%).
Discussion
These results inform operational decisions by showing the need for more resourcing earlier in the day, and consistently throughout the week. They also highlight the importance of a calm, restful atmosphere. For program design, the high proportion of carers highlights the importance of carer-specific services. Collecting more detailed demographic information could improve understanding of program accessibility for priority populations.