Quality palliative care being delivered in Tas
The Minister for Health and Human Services, Lara Giddings, says the Tasmanian government is committed to delivering quality palliative care an integral part of the state’s health plan.
Ms Giddings said Tasmania already met the benchmark set down by Palliative Care Australia of 6.7 beds per 100,000 people.
“There are 26 palliative care beds across the public and private system including the Whittle Ward in Hobart, at Calvary Health Care’s St Luke’s Campus in Launceston and St John’s Campus in Hobart.
“There are also as many as 10 palliative care beds in our district hospitals, which are used flexibly according to the communities’ needs.”
Ms Giddings said the review of Tasmania’s palliative care services, Palliative Care in Tasmania: Current Situation and Future Directions (2004) recommended a model for delivering palliative care services based on patients receiving different levels and types of services depending on their needs.
“Through the implementation of this new service delivery model we have been able to increase the accessibility and capacity of palliative care services in the state.
“As well as increasing the availability of care in the home and developing a primary health workforce capacity through the ongoing provision of palliative education to health professionals, including GPs, we have improved palliative care provided in district hospitals.
“We have also met national benchmarks for palliative care medical specialist staffing.
“The new model recognises that palliative care is provided in many settings – in the home, in acute hospitals, in aged care homes, in specialist palliative care units and in district hospitals.
“The setting of palliative care is influenced by the patient’s needs and in consultation with the patient.”
Ms Giddings said the Department of Health and Human Services was continuing to implement the recommendations of the review.
“In addition to our dedicated palliative care beds in the state, we are able to provide palliative care services to many more terminally ill Tasmanians through this new service delivery model.
“We recognise that for some people, the preferred setting to receive palliative care services is in their own home or community. Where possible, we want to support people in this way.”
Ms Giddings said the state government had invested in the education of health professionals to ensure they were able to provide palliative care services outside of an acute hospital or dedicated palliative care setting, that is, to patients in their own homes, in district hospitals or in aged care homes.
“We believe that the new service delivery model has greatly improved the accessibility and capacity of palliative care services in the state, and provides a better model of care for patients and their families during what is an incredibly difficult and emotional time,” Ms Giddings said
