SHE’S charged with looking after the state’s regional health system, but Leslie Williams came to Tamworth with no solutions for the region’s cries for better palliative care services.
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But the parliamentary secretary was willing to listen.
It’s the fifth leg of the Port Macquarie MP’s painstaking tour to each local health district in the state to find a way to provide better palliative care for each region.
“I’m not going to purport that I have the answers that are best for you,” Ms Williams told media before the Tamworth meeting.
“You can tell me what those solutions look like.”
Ms Williams, a registered nurse who has worked in palliative care, met with 30 local advocates, health professionals and consumers in a jam-packed room in the Bruderlin wing of Tamworth hospital.
While the MP said things could be done better, what exactly will be done will remain unclear until mid-to-late June, when a discussion paper on the meetings will be released and more public comment is sought.
However, the parliamentary secretary hinted at state services working in coordination with non-government organisation.
“That’s not just the responsibility of the NSW government, there are of course non-government organisations that are working in this sector,” Ms Williams said.
“So maybe it’s about how we can work together and better coordinate those services.
“But today, I’m not here to provide those solutions, I’m here today to listen to this community and make sure in the future we can give them some better outcomes.”
Before whisking away Ms Williams for the roundtable meeting, Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson and Hunter New England Health executive director of regional and rural health services Susan Heyman celebrated the work of the hospital’s palliative care unit.
“In terms of the services that are available from Hunter New England Health, here at the hospital, they are second to none,” Mr Anderson said.
“We need to look at what happens in a community sense.
“What happens for those who choose to spend their last days at home.
“How do we care for them? Yes, we do have a challenge there.”
There were no announcements made following the meeting, but local advocate Mitch Williams was happy with the event.
“It was great for Leslie Williams to see what is needed for the community and to get a firsthand view from management, our community nurse and local GPs,” he said.