Southern Highlands Community Hospice

November 29, 2011

I have been approached by the Southern Highlands Community Hospice steering committee to discuss a proposed hospice for the local area to provide palliative care for people with a terminal illness.

Palliative Care focuses on quality of life and comfort with attention to physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs. These services are provided in hospitals in NSW, community based services, and in the home and a network of palliative care services has existed for many years in NSW.

The NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner has asked her Department to provide an analysis of the demand for palliative care services in NSW to ensure that we are providing adequate services to those who need them.

Over the coming year the department of Health will:

• Map our current palliative care services against population needs;
• Investigate appropriate palliative care population planning tools used in other jurisdictions to assist in future service planning;
• Examine the current palliative care workforce and identify any current workforce gaps which to be addressed;
• Examine current training and resources available to support volunteers, carers and health workers involved in palliative care.

Strategies from these plans and this work will be incorporated into Local Health District Palliative Care Services Plans, and will be incorporated into the Services Agreements with Local Health Districts and with Affiliated Health Organisations.

Palliative Care Services in the Wingecarribee area are provided by the Wingecarribee Community Health Centre to clients across the Shire. Services are provided predominately in the client’s home and there is a consultative service to Bowral & District Hospital, Southern Highlands Private Hospital and the residential aged facilities in Wingecarribee.

I look forward to working with the SH Hospice steering committee as the results of the department's consultation emerge.