Palliative Care Queensland has welcomed the Queensland Government’s announcement of a five-year Palliative and End-of-Life Care Strategy and Queensland Health Specialist Palliative Care Workforce Plan, which supports the pre-election commitments made in 2020.
The plan will see $102 million of the government’s promised $171 million commitment to the sector utilised to attract and train an extra 231 front-line health care professionals to meet the state’s growing demand for care and choice for Queenslanders approaching their end-of-life.
Palliative Care Queensland President, Dr Anthony Herbert, welcomed the application of the committed funds, “We welcome the Queensland Government’s commitment to funding improved palliative care services so that Queenslanders have genuine choice and a patient centred approach to care regardless of postcode.”
“We are also encouraged to see that funding has been allocated to support First Nations communities through culturally innovative programs and access to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, which will support patients, families and communities experiencing sad news and sorry business. As outlined in Palliative Care Queensland’s Reconciliation Action Plan, our mission is to influence, foster and promote quality palliative care for all Queenslanders and the State Government’s investment in First Nations care is a significant step in improving the quality of end-of-life care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders across Queensland.”
“While short of the total funding of $275 million per year in additional funding the sector requires to ensure care for all, more front-line staff will be welcomed by the entire sector and will ensure that Queenslanders have access to more nurses, medical practitioners, allied health professionals and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health workers across the State.”
