Hon Nick Goiran questions the Health portfolio regarding the definition of 'ongoing care' provided by the Statewide Care Navigator Service for voluntary assisted dying (VAD) patients and whether it includes palliative care.

AnsweredQoN 1159Legislative Council
Asked
1 December 2022
Portfolio
Health

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to page 29 of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Board Western Australia Annual Report 2021-22 which refers
to ‘ongoing care being the most common type of interaction’ for the Statewide
Care Navigator Service, and I ask: (a) what
does this ‘ongoing care’ for patients seeking access to voluntary assisted
dying entail given that on page 30 ‘ongoing care’ is differentiated from
enquiry/information requests, assistance for patients seeking a practitioner
and care coordination; and (b) does ‘ongoing care’ include the provision of
palliative care?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
14 February 2023
Responded by
Leader of the House representing the Minister for Health
Response time
1 days
(a) ’Ongoing care’ refers to the Statewide Care Navigator Service having direct interaction  with a patient or family following an initial contact from or with a patient or family.
‘Enquiries or requests’ are often, but not exclusively, initial contacts during which a person seeks to understand the process but may not yet have decided to pursue an assessment or engage with a voluntary assisted dying (VAD) practitioner.
‘Care coordination’ refers to various interactions with people other than the person or their family, such as health care providers, VAD practitioners, aged care providers and other health professional or organisational staff, to facilitate appointments and other logistical arrangements to support a person’s VAD assessment process.
‘Seeking a practitioner’ refers to interactions with potential VAD trained practitioners on behalf of a person wishing to undergo assessment for VAD.
(b) The Statewide Care Navigator Service does not directly provide palliative care, but advocates for referral to and encourages people to engage with palliative care services for support, if they choose.

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