❓ WA Parliamentary Question on Notice regarding the Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) Regional Access Support Scheme (RASS), including access standards, funding, staffing, and practitioner training across WA regions.
AnsweredQoN 240Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
VOLUNTARY ASSISTED DYING — REGIONAL ACCESS SUPPORT
SCHEME
240. Hon MARTIN ALDRIDGE to the minister representing the
Minister for Health:
I refer to the voluntary assisted
dying scheme due to commence in Western Australia from 1 July 2021.
(1) Will the minister please table
the VAD access standard?
(2) How will the
regional access support scheme support access to voluntary assisted dying in
regional and remote Western Australia?
(3) How much funding and how many
FTE have been allocated to implement the RASS?
(4) How many practitioners by Western
Australian region, including the metropolitan area, have —
(a) registered to undertake training;
and
(b) completed training?
SCHEME
240. Hon MARTIN ALDRIDGE to the minister representing the
Minister for Health:
I refer to the voluntary assisted
dying scheme due to commence in Western Australia from 1 July 2021.
(1) Will the minister please table
the VAD access standard?
(2) How will the
regional access support scheme support access to voluntary assisted dying in
regional and remote Western Australia?
(3) How much funding and how many
FTE have been allocated to implement the RASS?
(4) How many practitioners by Western
Australian region, including the metropolitan area, have —
(a) registered to undertake training;
and
(b) completed training?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) I table the attached document.
[See paper 256 .]
(2) The aim of
the regional access support scheme is to provide support options that
facilitate access in alignment with the access standard. The RASS may be
utilised to enable access support for a patient in the following situations:
travel, and accommodation if required, for the patient to access a practitioner,
when no suitable practitioner is based locally and telehealth is not
appropriate or allowable; travel, and accommodation if required, for the
patient to access a telehealth appointment with a care navigator, coordinating
or consulting practitioner, if travelling more than 70 kilometres one way;
practitioner travel to a patient, when no suitable practitioner is based
locally, the person is unable to travel to the practitioner, and telehealth is
not appropriate or allowable; escort, times one, to travel with the patient to
access a practitioner when no suitable practitioner is based locally and
telehealth is not appropriate or allowable, including accommodation if
required; and interpreter travel when no local interpreter is available and telehealth or telephone interpretation cannot be
effectively undertaken or is not appropriate to be undertaken , and this
is not able to be accessed under another provider scheme.
(3) The RASS has
been allocated $200 000 per financial year for 2021–22 and 2022–23.
Four FTE have been allocated to the WA VAD statewide care navigator service,
which will manage the RASS.
(4) (a) A number
of practitioners have registered for access to undertake the WA voluntary
assisted dying�approved training by region. I have a table with the figures,
which I seek leave to have incorporated into Hansard .
[Leave granted for the following
material to be incorporated.]
Metro
32
Peel
4
Regional
– Great Southern
5
Regional
– South West
3
Regional
– Wheatbelt
1
TOTAL
45
(b) Approved training will commence
imminently.
some notice of the question.
(1) I table the attached document.
[See paper 256 .]
(2) The aim of
the regional access support scheme is to provide support options that
facilitate access in alignment with the access standard. The RASS may be
utilised to enable access support for a patient in the following situations:
travel, and accommodation if required, for the patient to access a practitioner,
when no suitable practitioner is based locally and telehealth is not
appropriate or allowable; travel, and accommodation if required, for the
patient to access a telehealth appointment with a care navigator, coordinating
or consulting practitioner, if travelling more than 70 kilometres one way;
practitioner travel to a patient, when no suitable practitioner is based
locally, the person is unable to travel to the practitioner, and telehealth is
not appropriate or allowable; escort, times one, to travel with the patient to
access a practitioner when no suitable practitioner is based locally and
telehealth is not appropriate or allowable, including accommodation if
required; and interpreter travel when no local interpreter is available and telehealth or telephone interpretation cannot be
effectively undertaken or is not appropriate to be undertaken , and this
is not able to be accessed under another provider scheme.
(3) The RASS has
been allocated $200 000 per financial year for 2021–22 and 2022–23.
Four FTE have been allocated to the WA VAD statewide care navigator service,
which will manage the RASS.
(4) (a) A number
of practitioners have registered for access to undertake the WA voluntary
assisted dying�approved training by region. I have a table with the figures,
which I seek leave to have incorporated into Hansard .
[Leave granted for the following
material to be incorporated.]
Metro
32
Peel
4
Regional
– Great Southern
5
Regional
– South West
3
Regional
– Wheatbelt
1
TOTAL
45
(b) Approved training will commence
imminently.
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