‘National talk’ on palliative care
The Senate last week called for a national conversation on palliative care after the release of its longawaited report into the state of palliative care in Australia. Senators praised the contributions of individuals and organisations who, together, contributed 138 submissions and 23 oral accounts of their personal experience with palliative.
The Senate last week called for a national conversation on palliative care after the release of its longawaited report into the state of palliative care in Australia.
Senators praised the contributions of individuals and organisations who, together, contributed 138 submissions and 23 oral accounts of their personal experience with palliative.
The Senators described listening to the oral evidence as, at times, “harrowing” but always “ennobling”.
The committee has made 38 recommendations in total on areas including palliative care funding, education for health professionals, education for the community, and improved access to information about services and supporting people to die in the place of their choice.
The Senators highlighted advance care planning as a key priority for improvement, and described the system as a “mess”. They also recommended a national framework be developed to support people to make choices about their end of life care.
They also suggested palliative care be funded under a separate category, not as part of subacute services as it is currently.
The recommendations also focused on the needs of specific groups such as Indigenous Australians, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities and children.
Dr Yvonne Luxford, chief executive officer of Palliative Care Australia said: “There is no doubt the Senate received a clear message from the sector about what needs to be done to improve palliative care in this country.
“The comprehensiveness of the report, and the response from the Senators involved in the inquiry, is extremely encouraging. We look forward to seeing palliative care made a real priority in the current health reforms and recognised as an integral part of the health system,” Dr Luxford said.
