News

May 23-29 is National Palliative Care Week (NPCW).  It is also the 40^th Anniversary Celebration of Palliative Care NSW (PC NSW).

This year’s theme, ‘Palliative Care It’s more than you think.’, seeks to broaden the community’s perceptions, understanding and appreciation of palliative care, demonstrating its role in supporting the physical, emotional, spiritual and social needs of people living with a life-limiting illness, their families and their care team.  

The aim is to spark important conversations and to encourage a whole-of-community approach to end-of-life matters.

Here at PCNSW we advocate for better end of life care every single day. We have been doing so for the last 40 years and we will continue to move strongly forwards as a peak body representing our member base.

On Friday 28^th May we are holding an online education symposium for our members, exploring the topic “Care for patients and their families in our hospitals”.

Other current PC NSW projects include:

“How would you start a conversation about end of life?”  –  series of Community Conversations that encourage people to discuss their end-of-life needs. Rolling out through South East NSW in July and August 2021, community groups are welcome to host a session.

 Palliative Care Leadership Network brings together the most experienced and committed palliative care specialists across the state.  It arms them with the latest evidence-based resources and provides a forum to share experiences and skills.

Local Council Collaboration – a pilot program with two local South East NSW councils that will explore how end of life services and supports might be incorporated into local government policy, planning and practice.

Our Volunteer Support Services Program continues to increase the capacity of palliative care volunteers through support services, education and information resources.   We are currently celebrating the opening of the new Queanbeyan Regional Palliative Volunteer Unit, with a full compliment of volunteers.

Through the CCREOL Project (Consumers and Carers at End of Life) we have been working to better support people approaching end of life in Southern NSW. This project has been a successful collaboration between PCNSW, Southern NSW LHD and Coordinare PHN. The project will draw to a close at the end of June but not before the three palliative care volunteer services recently established in the region undergo evaluation.

Palliative Care Australia will launch a nation-wide media campaign, Palliative Care: It’s more than you think, to raise awareness and create conversation about end-of-life matters in all communities.  Palliative Care Services around the state will be holding activities to acknowledge and celebrate the work of palliative care health professionals and volunteers.

“Palliative care is available to people with a serious and life-limiting illness and their families, to assist in managing their symptoms, improve their quality of life and help them to live as well as possible, for as long as possible. We all have a part to play” says Linda Hansen, CEO, Palliative Care NSW.