A WOMAN is worried about her health, and another woman is awaiting surgery as authorities investigate a specialist skin cancer clinic in Bendigo.
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Safer Care Victoria has sent letters to more than 1100 former Quality Cancer Care patients as part of its urgent - and ongoing - review into the private clinic.
But neither of the women the Bendigo Advertiser spoke with were among them. They placed some of the 880 calls former Quality Cancer Care patients have made to a phone line established as part of the Safer Care Victoria review.
Both women became aware of concerns about the clinic because of reports in the media, despite having appointments scheduled with Quality Cancer Care director Dr Wesley Miles.
Judi Hosking was supposed to see Dr Miles again mid-August to follow up on treatments provided in December and January.
She had liquid nitrogen applied to several basal cell carcinomas on her head and face, on both occasions.
The 70-year-old said she called the phone line for former Quality Cancer Care patients within a week of learning about Safer Care Victoria's urgent review, in late June.
But it wasn't until August that Mrs Hosking received a letter notifying her of an October appointment at the Bendigo Cancer Centre.
She considered attending other clinics during the weeks she was "in limbo", out of concern about her health.
This is not the first time Mrs Hosking has received treatment for skin cancer. Uncertainty about the need for further treatment has been weighing on her mind.
Another woman, who requested to remain anonymous, is awaiting surgery for basal cell carcinomas on her nose and a shoulder.
It comes after more than two years of care and treatment from Dr Miles, including superficial radiotherapy and having her cancers "frozen" with liquid nitrogen.
The woman has not been told whether there were any issues associated with the services she received from Dr Miles.
She was recommended for surgery after seeing reports of investigations into the clinic and its director in the media, calling the phone line and attending several appointments at the Bendigo Cancer Centre.
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Concerns raised by clinicians at Bendigo Health and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Bendigo prompted Safer Care Victoria's urgent review.
The concerns related to diagnoses and treatments received by Quality Cancer Care patients referred to their services.
Victoria's Health Complaints Commissioner also announced an investigation into Quality Cancer Care following concerns about the detection, diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency in June confirmed it was making inquiries about Dr Miles, who provided an undertaking to cease practising medicine following steps by the Medical Board of Australia.
Dr Miles's registration has since been suspended.
Three Bendigo GPs and a past patient expressed shock at the review when the news broke in June, having all had positive experiences of Quality Cancer Care.
Both of the former patients interviewed for this piece responded similarly, having previously been satisfied with their treatment and care.
The woman who is scheduled for surgery wanted answers about the investigations and the issues explored.
Safer Care Victoria acting chief executive officer, Adjunct Associate Professor Ann Maree Keenan, said the review was complex.
She said it was likely to take longer than six months, as it involved multiple agencies and the review of more than 2700 patient files.
Comment has been sought about the status of both the AHPRA and Health Complaints Commissioner's inquiries.
Why Dr Miles had conditions on his registration as a medical practitioner for three years, from September 2016 to October 2019, was among the questions the anonymous former patient wanted answered.
An AHPRA spokesperson previously told the Bendigo Advertiser the public register at the time showed the conditions existed, but not the the specifics. They could not comment further, citing privacy provisions.
The former patient said she was unaware of the conditions on Dr Miles's registration at the time of her treatments.
"If we were aware, I would have gone somewhere else," the woman said.
She was still receiving care from the clinic about the same time the Medical Board of Australia sought to prevent Dr Miles from practising medicine.
Dr Miles gave them an undertaking to cease practising on April 30.
An AHPRA spokesperson on Friday confirmed the Medical Board of Australia suspended Dr Miles's registration on August 6. They did not detail why.
Bendigo's Quality Cancer Care clinic has been closed since about April.
The anonymous former patient said some of her appointments from earlier this year were changed and cancelled, but she had not suspected anything because of the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic.
The woman had been seeking non-surgical treatment when she was referred to the clinic. She said Dr Miles had reassured her about her aversion to further surgery and suggested alternatives, and she had trusted his advice.
She is scheduled for a forehead flap reconstruction, a staged procedure which the woman fears will make her look like an "elephant woman" for up to two months.
The surgery involves making a flap in the skin of the woman's forehead and attaching the flap to the nose tip.
The woman was "pissed off" about needing surgery.
She was hopeful it would be finished and she would have recovered before Christmas.
"I do not want to see the grandkids. I don't want them to see me the way I'm going to be. I don't want to put them through it," the woman said.
The Department of Health and Human Services has encouraged former Quality Cancer Care patients to call the dedicated patient line on 03 5454 6357 (9am - 5pm) with any concerns about their care.
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