Kerry Patford

Caring at her core

Among the first McGrath Cancer Care Nurses, Kerry has been part of the mission since 2009. Now Chief Nurse, she leads the national nursing team, building the framework of education, support and resources they need to care for their communities.

Based in Wangaratta in northeast Victoria, she brings a regional lens to national outcomes. One of her proudest achievements is establishing the Nurse Clinical Lead Team – a national collective of specialist nurses across multiple cancer streams who mentor their colleagues on the ground.

“I’m incredibly proud of the way the McGrath Foundation is fostering excellence in nursing,” she says. “If we weren't doing a good job, we wouldn’t get the opportunities to expand. That comes down to the excellence of our nurses and the care they provide.”

After an interrupted childhood, Kerry was drawn to nursing by the collegiality of hospital training – an extended family united by purpose. As the profession evolved, she completed a nursing degree via distance through Charles Sturt. The values she encountered have reverberated throughout her life and work.

“There was a strong focus on how our health system impacts First Nations communities, and it really opened my eyes to the inequities,” she recalls.

“We also explored the creation of Medicare, and that gave me a global perspective on what it takes to build healthcare systems that support everyone.”

This commitment to equity sits at the heart of the McGrath Foundation’s evolution.

“We have a responsibility to uplift the care of First Nations peoples, LGBTIQ+ communities, people in rural and remote areas, older Australians, those living with disability or mental illness, culturally diverse groups – all populations who experience poorer outcomes because the system isn’t designed for them.”

Though no longer on the frontline, Kerry remains deeply connected to the patients and families around whom the McGrath Foundation’s compassionate mission revolves.

“I’m still a nurse at my core; it’s just a broader vision. There’s no better feeling than when someone arrives scared and overwhelmed, and you can create moments of comfort, so they leave feeling their world is a little bit clearer and more hopeful.”