Australian Government invests $56M to improve palliative care
Share
Over $56 million has been recently invested by the Australian Government to help improve palliative care for dying Australians.
Out of the 160,000 people who die in Australia each year, it is estimated that only 50 to 90 per cent of Australians would benefit from receiving end of life care up to their deaths.
As such, Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt and Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services Richard Colbeck both agreed that it was vital that those who approached the final stage of their lives have access to the level of care they need.
Under the new investment, over $37 million will be provided to the 31 Primary Health Networks (PHNs) across the nation to expand the Greater Choice for At Home Palliative Care program.
“We’ve already seen a successful pilot program across 11 PHN sites, linking the end of life care systems and services in primary and community care settings and increasing community awareness of local palliative care services,” Minister Hunt said.
“Our latest investment will ensure Australians can access appropriate care at the right time at home, while also aiming to reduce hospitalisation for palliative care.”
Aside from the expansion of the program, an additional $19 million will go towards three programs at the University of Wollongong and Queensland University of Technology to improve end of life care in residential aged care.
The programs from both universities will help improve the palliative care skills and workforce capacity of over 2000 aged care staff.
Minister Colbeck said the Australian Government is addressing palliative care as part of its $17.7 billion reforms to aged care, demonstrating its commitment to ensuring access to high-quality health services for all Australians.
“Our Government’s response to the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety includes significant investment in delivering higher quality care in residential aged care,” he said.
“The Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC), commencing on 1 October 2022, will deliver fairer and more equitable funding to the sector for the delivery of care to the 240,000 Australians living in residential aged care facilities.”
Overs$294.1 million will be invested in the next eight years to strengthen the country’s palliative care system, including national workforce education, carer support, quality improvement, national communications and research activities and advance care planning.
Source: Department of Health Media Release
Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.
