TAMWORTH could see huge growth in its community palliative care sector if MP Kevin Anderson gets his way.
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On the back of a concerted statewide push, the NSW government has pledged $100 million towards bolstering end-of-life care resources over the next four years.
“I’d like to see an additional three to six nurses and a specialist, maybe two,” Mr Anderson told The Leader.
“I’ll be making sure Tamworth is at the front of the queue.”
Local advocates, Mitch Williams and Lucy Haslam, first lifted the lid on Tamworth’s lack of community-based palliative care in February 2016.
How the government plans on divvying up the $100 million of additional resources isn’t clear yet, but Mr Anderson vowed to “make sure we get our fair share” and said: “we’ve put a good case forward”.
Mr Anderson believes the announcement will realise the needs of the region which were raised at Tamworth’s roundtable meeting last month.
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Parliamentary secretary for regional and rural health Leslie Williams said the proposed palliation package was also prepared for the challenges generally faced when luring health professionals to the bush.
Mrs Williams said there would be funding available to “enhance the skills of the current workforce”.
As part of the package, there are 300 scholarships available across regional and rural NSW for staff to train-up in palliative care skills.
It is unclear if these scholarships will be equally divided among the state’s local health districts.
A scheme similar to this was suggested as a way forward on the matter by Mr Anderson in January this year.
There will also be 30 additional nurses providing care in hospitals, nursing homes and homes, which will provide at least two more nurses for each local health district, according to Ms Williams.
In the 2017/18 budget, more than $3 million will fund six new palliative care specialists for regional and rural areas; as well as, two additional positions which will provide support to other specialists.
“We are tackling the need for specialist training through training nurses and allied health frontline workers who currently work in our rural and regional communities, and also boosting funding for additional specialist doctors and nurses for new positions in regional health districts,” Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.
Where it all began
February 2016: Mitch Williams and Lucy Haslam both recently lost family members after battles with illness, and the pair agree costs could be greatly saved, while granting the wishes of terminal patients, if there was adequate funding for community services. Read more.
What has the NSW government committed to
- Palliative care training for 300 nurses and allied health staff ($900,000)
- 300 scholarships for rural and regional staff to enhance palliative care skills ($300,000)
- An additional six palliative care specialists in rural and regional areas ($2.4million)
- Two specialist positions to provide relief to other specialists in rural and regional areas ($795,000)
- An additional 30 palliative care nurses providing care in hospitals, homes and nursing homes ($5 million)
- Community-based palliative care services in Western Sydney, including a 24 hour, seven day a week on-call specialist palliative care service at home ($6.9 million)
- The development of comprehensive and integrated palliative care services, in line with community expectations and need ($1 million in 2017- 18 as part of a $22 million investment over four years)
- Community pharmacy initiatives to improve medication management for palliative care patients ($200,000)