A new $5 million fund for community palliative care agencies to provide at home palliative care will support more Victorians with a terminal illness to be cared for, and die, in their place of choice.
The new fund will provide grants of up to $50,000 for equipment and information technology that allows nurses and other direct care staff to provide care in people’s homes.
This funding and additional support will ensure more Victorians with terminal illnesses can spend their last days at home with their family, friends and loved ones.
The fund is part of a suite of reforms the Andrews Labor Government is undertaking to ensure every Victorian can die with dignity.
These reforms include:
- A new End-of-Life and Palliative Care Framework supported by $7.2 million in funding to increase the options for people dying at home
- Protecting advance care directives in legislation for the first time in Victoria
- Introducing legislation into the Parliament later this year to legalise voluntary assisted dying for terminally ill people in Victoria
Community palliative care agencies play an essential role in supporting people with terminal illnesses who wish to die at home, and in 2015/16 they provided care and support to nearly 17,000 Victorians.
Providers can apply for equipment such as a car to enable a rural community palliative care service to get to more home visits, computer technology to enable home visit staff to write up their notes while away from the office, or equipment such as syringe drivers or hospital-grade beds to loan to families caring for loved ones at home.
More information is available at http://www2.health.vic.gov.au/palliative-care with applications closing on 13 April.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Jill Hennessy
“All Victorians deserve access to the best possible end-of-life care which relieves pain and suffering and supports families and carers in their last days.”
“This fund will make sure our palliative care agencies have the support and the equipment they need to enable Victorians with terminal illness to be cared for, and die, surrounded by their family and loved ones.”
“We know that when community palliative care services are involved in someone’s end-of-life care, they are more likely to be cared for, and die, in their place of choice.”