Make palliative care ‘your business’ this election

Palliative Care Australia (PCA) is calling on all political parties and candidates standing for election tomorrow to commit to making quality care at the end of life a reality for all Australians.

PCA’s election campaign titled, ‘Make palliative care your business’, outlines a number of priority areas needing urgent action to ensure all Australian families have access to high quality palliative care services.

“At best estimates, only 30% – 50% of people who would benefit from access to palliative care services receive them,” said Professor Patsy Yates, president of Palliative Care Australia.

“Each year this leaves at least 75,000 Australians and their families without adequate support at the end of life, which is unacceptable,” she added.

PCA’s election statement sets out what needs to be done to ensure that any person – from diagnosis to the advanced non‐curative stage of disease – receives care which enhances their quality of life until death in the place of their choosing.

“We believe that palliative care must be available regardless of location, age, income, diagnosis or prognosis, social and cultural background, to support Australians to live well at the end of life,” Professor Yates said.

The statement outlines the following priority areas:

• ACCESS – Palliative care should be available to all Australians, when and where they need it.

• AWARENESS – Australians should be comfortable discussing and planning for the end of their life care with loved ones and health professionals.

• EQUITY – Services should meet the needs of everyone in our community, particularly minority groups.

• WORKFORCE – Care of the dying must be a standard education provision for every health professional across their career.

• ADVANCE CARE PLANNING –Implement nationally consistent advance care planning legislation.

• QUALITY – The Standards for Providing Quality Palliative Care for all Australians should inform good palliative care practice wherever it is delivered.

• RESEARCH – Prioritise funding for palliative care research to support the development of innovative service models.

• CARERS – Recognise that carers have needs too, and help them to support family members who want to die at home.

• VOLUNTEERS have a vital role in the palliative care team. A national strategy for training and coordinating volunteers would help meet the growing demand for palliative care.

Palliative Care Australia chief executive, Dr Yvonne Luxford, says: “We know what needs to be done to improve palliative and end of life care in this country, indeed Australia is at the forefront of much of the leading palliative care research globally. We need to put this into action and act now. Australia can, and must do better.

“We are committed to making palliative care everyone’s business and quality care at the end of life a reality for all. Together we can make this happen.”