Palliative Care Report Welcomed
A major report into palliative care in South Australia has been delivered, with the Malinauskas Labor Government accepting all recommendations to best meet the needs of South Australians into the future.
The inquiry was commissioned by Health and Wellbeing Minister Chris Picton in 2022 to examine the current provision of palliative care services in SA, best practice models in Australia and internationally and recommendations to enhance services.
Palliative care helps people live their life as fully and as comfortably as possible when living with a life-limiting or terminal illness. It identifies and helps treat physical, emotional, spiritual or social symptoms. As it is based on individual needs the services offered for each person will differ, but early referral can often support a better quality of life in a person’s final stages.
The Health Performance Council’s report projects that with an ageing and growing population there will be a significant increase in the number of deaths that could require palliative care services over the next twenty years in South Australia.
It made several findings and recommendations including:
Following the report’s findings, the Minister has asked the Department for Health and Wellbeing to provide an implementation plan on the review’s recommendations. The implementation plan will include a review of the 2022-27 Palliative Care Strategic Framework.
Ensuring South Australians have access to high-quality palliative care services is a priority for the South Australian Government, which has already supported and implemented a range of new services and initiatives, including:
The report was commissioned by the Minister for Health and Wellbeing, following an unsuccessful request for such a report to be commissioned, by Tony Piccolo the Member for Light, to the previous Government.
The report can be viewed here.
As put by Chris Picton
Palliative Care is an incredibly important service for South Australians with a life-limiting or terminal illness. It helps people live as fully and comfortably as possible in the later stages of their lives.
I commissioned this report to provide a better understanding of palliative care services and needs in South Australia and to examine best practice models around Australia and the world so that we can make our services even better.
I thank the Health Performance Council for its report and we accept all its recommendations.
We want to ensure that all South Australians have access to the highest-quality services for themselves and their loved ones.
As put by Member for Light Tony Piccolo
As a passionate campaigner for equitable palliative care services across the state, I strongly welcome this report and I know my community will too.
Well-funded quality care services should be available to all South Australians, regardless of their wealth and geography.
This report provides an important blueprint for enhancing palliative care services across the state.
I thank the Minister for commissioning the report, when the previous Liberal Government refused to do so.
As put by Dr Peter Allcroft, Palliative Care Statewide Clinical Network Lead at the Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health (CEIH), Senior Staff Specialist for Palliative Care at Flinders Medical Centre and Chair for Palliative Care Australia
We welcome the Health Performance Council’s report into palliative care in South Australia. It highlights there are many things that care workers in both the public and private sector do well but recognises there is more work to be done.
The report has identified a series of recommendations, all which we have accepted. We have commenced work on an implementation plan on the review’s recommendations and we are committed towards a system that provides the services and care that people need now and into the future, regardless of where you live in South Australia.