Palliative care funding for rural areas
The Australian Government has announced palliative care funding of more than $6.5 million to provide more coordinated care for rural Australians with a life-limiting illness.
Funding will be shared among 36 Divisions of General Practice in all states and territories to support their efforts to develop a coordinated approach to caring for rural people at the end of their lives.
The Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot, said that the new funding “acknowledges the pivotal role that GPs, among others, play in the delivery of palliative care in rural and regional areas. Rural GPs along with families are the closest to those needing palliative care”.
“Participating divisions will be expected to forge strong relationships with local communities, stakeholders and other programs to improve palliative care service delivery in their area.”
Fifteen divisions from four states – New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia – have been selected for the first intake of the project.
Each will submit a work plan to the project manager, the Australian General Practice Network, for approval before introducing the model to its region.
“These work plans will enhance the capability of palliative care services in a given area, building on the provision of direct care to patients and working to integrate palliative care into the broader spectrum of rural health care,” Mrs Elliot said.
