TAMWORTH may have its best chance yet to overhaul its community-based palliative care as the NSW government finally shifts its focus to the region.
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The city will host its anticipated roundtable meeting to discuss the region’s palliative care situation, chaired by parliamentary secretary for regional and rural health Leslie Williams.
The roundtables have been a travelling show put on by the state government, hosting palliative care summits in each of the state’s local health districts.
With Monday marking the beginning of National Palliative Care Week, the government brings the Hunter New England roundtable to the region with the worst community-based palliation provisions in the country, according to leading advocates.
A title which doesn’t sit well with local leaders.
Tamworth Regional Councillor Russell Webb wants to see action.
“If we look at NSW as a state, we’re probably one of the lowest served in terms of palliative care resources in the health industry,” Cr Webb told The Leader.
“Tamworth is the worst within NSW, so we need to start the ball rolling here.
It’s a bad look for council and it’s a bad look for the community.
- Tamworth councillor Russell Webb
“It’s a bad look for council and it’s a bad look for the community.”
Cr Webb said the state government had dropped the ball in this area.
“I’d like to see some significant funding go toward palliative care, it is one of those things where they have dropped the ball,” he said.
“In particular the Tamworth area and in the New England.”
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There will be about 30 people with a seat at the Tamworth roundtable including local advocate Mitch Williams.
Mr Williams vowed to make a difference for community palliative care services in Tamworth after the ordeal of his mother who passed away from metastatic breast cancer in 2015.
He joined with Lucy Haslam to call on an expansion of end-of-life care in the region.
The first pushes were made over 16 months ago and Mr Williams wants actions to come out of the roundtable meeting.
“We need to stop talking at some point and actually make change happen,” he said.
“The focus on the local health district in these roundtables should be a good step towards that.”
Recently, Mr Williams hit out over the amount of time it was taking to see improvements on the ground.
He was also slighted after being not being informed about a flying-visit to Tamworth by health minister Brad Hazzard last month.
Mr Williams said he was ready to lay it all out for the roundtable meeting on Monday.
After an ongoing campaign and many meetings with politicians and health services, the region is still in same place it was in February 2016.
“As of today, we only have one community-based palliative care nurse, so that’s the fact,” he said.
“Being Palliative Care Week as well, I think it highlights Tamworth’s inadequacies.
“We’ll bring that to the fore and get some decent results out the government and the local health district.”