Government palliative care policies and programs

Government palliative care policies and programs

Victorian Government palliative care overview

The palliative care initiatives of the Victorian Government detailed on the Department of Health (DOH) website include:

  • Victoria’s end of life and palliative care framework
  • Accessing care
  • Information for people, families and carers
  • Paediatric palliative care
  • Aboriginal Palliative Care Program
  • Statewide services
  • Education and training
  • Clinical network
  • Palliative care consortia
  • Funding and data
  • Community palliative care services/infrastructure grants
  • Palliative care services innovation and development grant
  • Essential elements of end of life care
  • Ready for community palliative care
  • Palliative care funding model review
  • End of life ancillary services grants
  • Palliative care advice service
  • Conditions of funding for palliative care

Click here for link.

 

The Victorian Government’s end of life palliative care framework

The Victorian Government’s end of life and palliative care framework was released in July 2016. The vision, guiding principles, goals, and priority areas of the framework are summarised below.

Vision

All Victorians and their families receive the best possible end of life care that places them at the centre where preferences, values, dignity and comfort are respected and quality of life matters most.

Guiding principles

  1. Dying is part of life: dying is a normal part of life and being human, not just a biological or medical event.
  2. The person is central to care: a person’s care is tailored and holistic; their rights, values and preferences are respected and they determine their own care whenever possible.
  3. Carers are important: carers receive recognition, support and are valued throughout their caring experience and after a person’s death.
  4. All people have information they discuss openly: people, their carers and families have information they understand about genuine choices that they can discuss authentically with their doctor and service providers.
  5. Decision making is legalised and respected: people’s decisions that may involve substitute decision-makers, health providers, families and carers are recognised and respected in accordance with relevant legislation.
  6. Services are high-quality and coordinated: individuals, their carers and families receive coordinated, integrated care from skilful staff.
  7. Care and services are monitored: underpinning end of life care are best practice evidence, effective monitoring, evaluation of patient-centred outcomes and supporting innovation.

Goals

  • People experience optimal end of life care.
  • People’s pain and symptoms are managed using quality interventions.
  • People’s preferences and values are recognised and respected in their end of life care.
  • Better support for carers.
  • People are cared for in their place of choice.
  • Where possible, people can choose to die in their place of choice.

Priority areas

Priority 1: Person-centred services.

Priority 2: Engaging communities, embracing diversity.

Priority 3: People receive services that are coordinated and integrated.

Priority 4: Quality end of life and palliative care is everyone’s responsibility.

Priority 5: Specialist palliative care is strengthened.

Australian Government Palliative Care policies and programs

Link to the Australia governments department of health [palliative care policy.

Click here for link.

 

Better Health Channel pages on end of life and palliative care services

Better Health Channel is a Victorian Government website that aims to help people understand and manage their health and medical conditions. The end of life and palliative care section of Better Health Channel includes a range of information on topics such as ‘end of life and palliative care explained’ and ‘practical care to assist family and carers’.

Click here for link.

Advance Care Planning

The Victorian Government’s approach to advance care planning is summarised on the website of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) using the following headings:

  • Overview
  • Strategy
  • Best practice in advance care planning
  • Initiating advance care planning
  • Implementation
  • Advisory group
  • Initiatives
  • Resources
  • Forms
  • Planning and decision making capacity
  • Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016

Click here for link.