PALLIATIVE CARE — REGIONAL SERVICES
44. Hon JIM CHOWN to the minister representing the Minister
for Health:
In
May 2019, Minister for Health, Roger Cook, announced a $41 million investment
for extra support and enhanced community-based palliative care services
across the state. The 2019–20 budget reflected this, with an allocation
to regional services of $12 million in 2019–20
and $13.6 million in 2020–21, of which $11.6 million was additional
to existing funding and makes up part of the $41 million commitment.
(1) Can the
minister please provide a breakdown of the additional palliative care services
that have been implemented in regional Western Australia since the announcement
in May 2019?
(2) How many
additional FTE palliative care nurses and doctors have been employed in
regional Western Australia since May 2019?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) Additional palliative care services in
regional WA that have been implemented since May 2019 include specialist
district-based multidisciplinary teams that have been progressed in Broome,
Port Hedland, Karratha, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Esperance, Northam, Narrogin,
Bunbury, Busselton, Collie, Manjimup, Albany and Katanning that consist of a combination
of nursing, medical, allied health staff, Aboriginal health workers—AHW—and administration staff. The palliative
care medical workforce has been enhanced with a team of medical
specialists supporting complex patient management and providing clinical
support. Additionally, a team of local GPs working closely with their regional
palliative care team and medical specialist is being trialled. The inaugural
coordinator Aboriginal health worker position has commenced to provide
coordination and leadership to the team of specialist AHWs who provide
culturally safe and holistic palliative care services in regional Aboriginal
communities. The Kimberley, Pilbara,
midwest, wheatbelt, goldfields and south west regions have appointed 4.8 FTE to
AHW positions. Forty-seven community home care packages have been
delivered to patients who were at risk of hospitalisation and who had no
ability to access domiciliary home care services. There has been expansion of
the telepalliative care in the home service to access palliative care and
support at home through using iPads to connect with palliative care staff
currently operating in the Kimberley, midwest, wheatbelt, goldfields, south west and great southern regions.
A contracted provider is delivering a specialist palliative care service
to the Pilbara region via an in-reach model of care, consisting of a palliative
care medical specialist team and immediate access to experienced palliative
care nursing and clinical specialists.
(2) There have
been 11.2 FTE palliative care nurses and 3.5 FTE palliative care doctors
employed. Additional staff have also been recruited to the palliative care
teams, including social workers, Aboriginal health care workers and
administrative staff.