Page 2954 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 August 2013
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It is important to recognise that, despite current palliative care and the wider acceptance of the role of the whole health system, care is needed. Our health service management needs to take these issues seriously and ensure that action is taken to embed sound palliative care practices across the whole system. I acknowledge that, by its nature, talking about death and advanced care plans, or ACPs, is complex. It involves medical and legal language, emotions, values, cultural mores, religion and family. In our multicultural, multi-faith society, the issues of health-system managed palliative care takes on new dimensions.
These are very sensitive issues that touch the dying and their families at emotional and sensitive times. I imagine we would have different views on the approach to these matters within this chamber. As we move to provide more and better palliative care programs, we need to acknowledge that.
The key recommendations of the ACT Local Hospital Network Council forum include greater involvement and understanding across the community in end-of-life issues. I agree there needs to be education and discussion in our community to make sure people understand what happens at the end of someone’s life and so we normalise those end-of-life discussions.
Another recommendation is increased information and awareness of the usefulness and benefits of advanced care planning. It is very worthy to make sure the individual has got a plan and that that is understood by family members and loved ones, so that the needs and the desires of the person who is dying are acknowledged when they perhaps move into a state where they cannot make decisions for themselves.
A greater acceptance of the value of advanced care planning amongst all carers and professionals is important as well so that health care professionals acknowledge the needs, desires, and wishes of those who are dying. Another recommendation is clarifying and simplifying the legal framework for advanced care planning so there is a common framework and set of documents for them. That seems self-evident to me. We should be taking steps to make advanced care planning easily available, and options in end-of-life situations should be openly discussed. That, again, makes a lot of sense.
I will now turn to some of the organisations involved with palliative care and end-of-life issues in our community across the public sector and the many volunteer groups, religious groups, charities and community groups that are involved in what is a very difficult but important stage of people’s lives. I would particularly like to mention Palliative Care ACT, which is part of the national organisation, Palliative Care Australia, comprising the eight state and territory palliative care organisations, and the Australia New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine, which shares the vision and mission and aims of Palliative Care Australia. And together, Palliative Care Australia members network to foster, influence and promote local and national endeavours to realise the provision of quality care at the end of life for all.
Palliative Care ACT works through a network of volunteers to deliver palliative care services, raise funds and support palliative care initiatives in the ACT. They bring a
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