Question regarding the impact of changes to the Bunbury Community Palliative Care Service, specifically concerning after-hours care for non-terminal patients and subsequent hospital presentations. The answer clarifies the service was not axed and provides data on hospital presentations and telephone contacts.

AnsweredQoN 4136Legislative Council
Asked
12 May 2016
Portfolio
Health

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to the axing of the Bunbury Community Palliative Care Service provided afterhours for non-terminal patients and I ask, since 8 February 2016, how many Bunbury Community Palliative Care Service patients who no longer receive the after-hours service have: (a) attended Bunbury Hospital Emergency Department and how many attended out of standard office hours; (b) been admitted to Bunbury Hospital; and (c) contacted the Bunbury Community Palliative Care out-of-hours telephone advice service?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
21 June 2016
Responded by
Minister for Planning representing the Minister for Health
Response time
40 days
I understand the member received a briefing on the Bunbury Community Palliative Care Service on Tuesday 17 May 2016 which provided confirmation that the service has not been axed.
As at 12 May 2016:
(a-b) Hospital data does not differentiate between terminal and non-terminal patients, all patients are recorded as palliative. During the period 8 February 2016 to 12 May 2016, there were 152 presentations to Bunbury Hospital Emergency Department and of those presentations, 54 were out of hours; of those 54 – 38 were admitted to Bunbury Hospital.
(c) Four patients have made telephone contact out of hours through the Bunbury Hospital After-Hours Manager. All patients have then been followed up and all patients stated they were satisfied with the response/support they received.

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