TAMWORTH GPs say one palliative care specialist alone won’t meet the region’s end-of-life needs, calling for a concerted effort from the whole medical community.
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Tamworth GP and educator Dr Jenny May said “palliative care is everybody’s business” in medicine.
“We need everybody to be good at palliative care,” Dr May said.
“It’s important to enhance services across the board.”
The local doctor said GPs were well placed to provide end-of-life care, often having involvement with “patients and their families from cradle to grave”.
“There are at least 15 GPs in Tamworth providing palliative care to their patients who met in September 2016 to identify how they can best move forward,” Dr May said.
“They have indicated that they are happy to continue this care.
“They identified greater access to palliative care nursing as very important.”
Dr May welcomed Hunter New England Health’s recent commitment to boost Tamworth’s palliative care numbers with a new permanent clinical nursing position.
“[It] is a very positive move which should further support patients to be assessed quickly, get access to equipment if needed and identify symptoms in need of urgent management,” she said.
Director of the University of Newcastle’s department of rural health in Tamworth, Dr May said palliative care skills are “key for all medical practitioners”.
“There are valuable enhancements to be made in medical services, nursing services and spiritual and social support that would all support patients and their families,” she said.
Dr May said the addition of a full-time specialist palliation physician would be able to provide a consultant level of support.
“From a GP level, it would be good to be able to potentially call after hours about a tricky situation,” she said.
Dr May said GPs in Tamworth are already working in close collaboration with the current specialist providing consultation services and “are keen to develop local models of accessing support after hours, if required”.
“There’s no way one person can see all of the people in the region who need palliative care.” Dr May said GPs have been working with the region’s staff and recent initiatives include access to a regular weekly palliative care handover meeting, monthly education sessions and a event which planned for March.