❓ Hon Martin Aldridge asks the Minister for Health about the progress of implementing the 25 recommendations from the Joint Select Committee on Palliative Care's Final Report, to which the Minister provides a table detailing the status of each recommendation.
AnsweredQoN 466Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Western Australian Government’s response to the Joint Select Committee on Palliative Care in Western Australia’s Final Report and I ask, given the Western Australian Government supported all 25 of the Committee’s recommendations, will the Minister please provide the current status of the Western Australian Government's progress on each of the recommendations of the Joint Select Committee on Palliative Care in Western Australia?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
16 February 2022
Responded by
Minister representing the Minister for Health
Response time
3 days
The attached table details the progress against each of the 25 recommendations.
Recommendation
Progress
1
The Minister for Health facilitate the removal of administrative barriers to the smooth transition of patients between palliative care service providers.
Ongoing
2
The Minister for Health facilitate and monitor an improved communication protocol, and if necessary an improved communication pathway, between medical practitioners and specialist palliative care services.
Ongoing
3
The Minister for Health ensure that the scoping of a palliative care navigator model by the Department of Health is progressed.
In progress
4
The Minister for Health commission an independent evaluation of whether telepalliative care services would be of benefit to patients in the metropolitan area.
In progress
5
The Minister for Health ensure that metropolitan palliative care patients who do not qualify for the National Disability Insurance Scheme or the Commonwealth Home Support Program have timely access to domiciliary homecare assistance.
Ongoing
6
The funding of volunteer services in palliative care be prioritised through models such as the Compassionate Communities model.
In progress
7
The Minister for Health develop a plan to increase the number of consultation liaison psychiatrists available to palliative care patients.
Ongoing
8
The Minister for Health explain why additional funding to increase palliative care workforce was not allocated in the January 2020 Expenditure Review Committee submission.
Ongoing
9
A majority of the Committee, comprising Hon Nick Goiran, Mr Zak Kirkup MLA, Mr Shane Love MLA and Hon Alison Xamon MLC, recommends that the Minister for Health prioritise additional funding to increase the palliative care workforce as noted in the Department of Health’s WA Health End-of-Life and Palliative Care – Current state of WA palliative care service provision and key findings: Working paper, June 2020, page 30.
Ongoing
10
The Minister for Health prepare a plan to:
a) Increase the palliative care workforce
b) Increase the availability of further education in palliative care and general practitioner registrar positions in palliative care.
Ongoing
11
Palliative care units be designed in consultation with local Aboriginal community members and elders.
Ongoing
12
The Minister for Health ensure that culturally appropriate resources are available for Aboriginal people to explain palliative care.
Completed
13
WA Health regularly communicate the progress of implementation of the recommendations of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices to stakeholders in the palliative care sector, and the Department of Health include a summary of those communications in its Annual Report.
Ongoing
14
WA Health undertake an evaluation of whether the ten additional inpatient beds in the northern suburbs of Perth referred to in the funding announcement of 10 October 2019:
a) Will meet the unmet inpatient palliative care needs of the northern suburbs of Perth as identified by the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices
b) Constitute an ‘inpatient specialist palliative care hospice’ for the purposes of recommendation 7 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices.
Ongoing
15
The North Metropolitan Health Service and the Department of Health report on the progress of implementation of recommendation 7 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices in their next annual reports.
Completed
16
WA Health use the results of the independent review undertaken pursuant to recommendation 9 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices, and the audit undertaken pursuant recommendation 10 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices, to quantify the funding required to enable community palliative care providers including Silver Chain to provide for:
a) Existing demand; and
b) Growing demand.
Ongoing
17
The Minister for Health table in parliament the independent review undertaken pursuant to recommendation 9 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices, and thereafter the Government’s response.
Completed
18
WA Health further refine the methodology for determining the unmet need for palliative care, and ensure the measure of unmet need includes:
a) The number of those accessing palliative care for the first time very late in the trajectory of their illness and therefore not receiving timely referrals
b) General practitioner and primary care data
c) Patients who received palliative care in the community and did not have any hospital admissions in the year prior to death.
Ongoing
19
WA Health undertake a full roll-out of the Electronic Palliative Care Information System known as ePalCIS.
Ongoing
20
WA Health communicate to key stakeholders its consistent definition of palliative care established pursuant to recommendation 11 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices.
In progress
21
The Department of Health report on the progress of implementation of recommendations 8, 10 and 11 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choice in its next annual report.
Completed
22
The Minister for Health explain how the remaining funds allocated to expanded regional palliative care services in 2019-20 will be spent.
In progress
23
The Department of Health undertake a detailed assessment of demand/and or need for palliative care services in regional and remote areas of Western Australia.
In progress
24
The WA Country Health Service and the Department of Health report on the progress of implementation of recommendation 13 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices in their next Annual Reports.
Completed
25
A Committee in the 41 st Parliament monitor the progress of recommendations arising from this inquiry.
N/A
Recommendation
Progress
1
The Minister for Health facilitate the removal of administrative barriers to the smooth transition of patients between palliative care service providers.
Ongoing
2
The Minister for Health facilitate and monitor an improved communication protocol, and if necessary an improved communication pathway, between medical practitioners and specialist palliative care services.
Ongoing
3
The Minister for Health ensure that the scoping of a palliative care navigator model by the Department of Health is progressed.
In progress
4
The Minister for Health commission an independent evaluation of whether telepalliative care services would be of benefit to patients in the metropolitan area.
In progress
5
The Minister for Health ensure that metropolitan palliative care patients who do not qualify for the National Disability Insurance Scheme or the Commonwealth Home Support Program have timely access to domiciliary homecare assistance.
Ongoing
6
The funding of volunteer services in palliative care be prioritised through models such as the Compassionate Communities model.
In progress
7
The Minister for Health develop a plan to increase the number of consultation liaison psychiatrists available to palliative care patients.
Ongoing
8
The Minister for Health explain why additional funding to increase palliative care workforce was not allocated in the January 2020 Expenditure Review Committee submission.
Ongoing
9
A majority of the Committee, comprising Hon Nick Goiran, Mr Zak Kirkup MLA, Mr Shane Love MLA and Hon Alison Xamon MLC, recommends that the Minister for Health prioritise additional funding to increase the palliative care workforce as noted in the Department of Health’s WA Health End-of-Life and Palliative Care – Current state of WA palliative care service provision and key findings: Working paper, June 2020, page 30.
Ongoing
10
The Minister for Health prepare a plan to:
a) Increase the palliative care workforce
b) Increase the availability of further education in palliative care and general practitioner registrar positions in palliative care.
Ongoing
11
Palliative care units be designed in consultation with local Aboriginal community members and elders.
Ongoing
12
The Minister for Health ensure that culturally appropriate resources are available for Aboriginal people to explain palliative care.
Completed
13
WA Health regularly communicate the progress of implementation of the recommendations of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices to stakeholders in the palliative care sector, and the Department of Health include a summary of those communications in its Annual Report.
Ongoing
14
WA Health undertake an evaluation of whether the ten additional inpatient beds in the northern suburbs of Perth referred to in the funding announcement of 10 October 2019:
a) Will meet the unmet inpatient palliative care needs of the northern suburbs of Perth as identified by the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices
b) Constitute an ‘inpatient specialist palliative care hospice’ for the purposes of recommendation 7 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices.
Ongoing
15
The North Metropolitan Health Service and the Department of Health report on the progress of implementation of recommendation 7 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices in their next annual reports.
Completed
16
WA Health use the results of the independent review undertaken pursuant to recommendation 9 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices, and the audit undertaken pursuant recommendation 10 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices, to quantify the funding required to enable community palliative care providers including Silver Chain to provide for:
a) Existing demand; and
b) Growing demand.
Ongoing
17
The Minister for Health table in parliament the independent review undertaken pursuant to recommendation 9 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices, and thereafter the Government’s response.
Completed
18
WA Health further refine the methodology for determining the unmet need for palliative care, and ensure the measure of unmet need includes:
a) The number of those accessing palliative care for the first time very late in the trajectory of their illness and therefore not receiving timely referrals
b) General practitioner and primary care data
c) Patients who received palliative care in the community and did not have any hospital admissions in the year prior to death.
Ongoing
19
WA Health undertake a full roll-out of the Electronic Palliative Care Information System known as ePalCIS.
Ongoing
20
WA Health communicate to key stakeholders its consistent definition of palliative care established pursuant to recommendation 11 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices.
In progress
21
The Department of Health report on the progress of implementation of recommendations 8, 10 and 11 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choice in its next annual report.
Completed
22
The Minister for Health explain how the remaining funds allocated to expanded regional palliative care services in 2019-20 will be spent.
In progress
23
The Department of Health undertake a detailed assessment of demand/and or need for palliative care services in regional and remote areas of Western Australia.
In progress
24
The WA Country Health Service and the Department of Health report on the progress of implementation of recommendation 13 of the Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices in their next Annual Reports.
Completed
25
A Committee in the 41 st Parliament monitor the progress of recommendations arising from this inquiry.
N/A
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