New palliative care facility for Adelaide

The palliative care service will be located on the fifth storey of a soon-to-be-built 55-bed rehabilitation centre which will include a roof top garden.

South Australian Health Minister Jack Snelling says the Palliative Care Working Party, which included nurses, consumers, clinicians and the non-government sector, chose Flinders as the most appropriate site for a new palliative care site in the south.

“Southern Adelaide Palliative Services, currently based at the Repatriation General Hospital, has provided exceptional care to the community for many years,” Mr Snelling says.

“However the facilities at the Repat are now outdated and the Government decided as part of Transforming Health to invest in a new state-of-the-art facility to give patients the care they need.

“Flinders Medical Centre has been chosen by the panel as the most suitable site as it provides co-location with specialist hospital services which are needed to support a modern day palliative care service,” according to the Health Minister.

Member for Fisher and former nurse Nat Cook says patients nearing the end of their life deserved to be cared for in a quality environment that affords them privacy and dignity, as well as access to appropriate medical and support services.

“The new facility will have 15 single rooms, all with individual bathrooms, providing greater privacy for patients and their families and a better working environment for clinicians,” Ms Cook says.

“This is the best option for the people of the south and it will be a state-of-the-art brand new palliative care service that we deserve.”

Southern Adelaide Palliative Services Service Director Kate Swetenham says the care patients and their families have come to expect from the Southern Adelaide Palliative Service will continue to be provided at Flinders Medical Centre.

“While some people may have an emotional attachment to Daw House, most patients and families tell us the most important thing to them is the care we provide, and all of the staff who offer this will continue to do so at Flinders Medical Centre,” she said.

“The design of the rooftop garden will ensure the space is therapeutic and comforting with panoramic views.”

The new car park and rehabilitation centre, including palliative care facilities, are due for completion by mid-2017.