Rural Palliative Care ProjectJulie Bernardson

 

Program Coordinator:  Julie Bernardson

 

Email: j.bernardson@gpasouthgippsland.com.au

 

Funded by:  Department of Health & Ageing

 

The Rural Palliative Care project will be implemented in 36 Divisions of General Practice, or consortia of Divisions, across Australia to provide sustainable models of rural palliative care delivery that can be adapted to address the local needs of rural communities.  In South Gippsland the project works collaboratively with Gippsland Region Palliative Care Consortium to ensure effective and efficient use of resources and to eliminate duplication.

 

It was an initiative of the Commonwealth Government, as one of many interventions aimed at achieving the Goals of the National Palliative Care Strategy. It is funded through the Department of Health and Ageing and managed by Australian General Practice Network (AGPN).

 

The Project aims to increase access to quality Palliative care services by:

·         enhancing common understandings of the models of rural palliative care services between the Divisions and key stakeholders, including specialist palliative care services;

·         strengthening links between palliative care and mainstream service delivery;

·         taking into account the broader consumer and community interests.

 

 

The Elements of the Project are to:

 

  • Establish a multidisciplinary local advisory panel;
  • Implement strategies that ensure local palliative care service providers are formally linked with specialist palliative care services within their area;
  • Implement activities that lead to improved and / or increased utilisation of general practice services for palliative care patients;
  • Implement activities that lead to continued coordinated multidisciplinary care for palliative care patients;
  • Implement regular Multidisciplinary team meetings for local Palliative care patients;
  • Implement a patient held communication resource;
  • Convene two annual multidisciplinary Palliative Care education seminars that meet the needs of local clinicians;
  • Set up systems to enable data collection which will identify whether the aims of the program are being met, and collect this data;
  • Development of Best Practice Guidelines.

 

 

Useful Links

 

National Palliative Care Program

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/B93F01A0D780051ACA256F1600807873/$File/npc.pdf

 

The Rural Palliative Care Project

http://www.agpn.com.au/site/index.cfm?display=683

 

 

The Gippsland Region Palliative Care Consortium

http://www.gha.net.au/pc/index.asp