The end of this month marks some significant times of awareness and reflection on our Australian calendar – National Sorry Day, National Reconciliation Week and National Palliative Care Week. While our lives are busy and complex, these events serve as timely reminders for us to stop and acknowledge, learn, and reflect. It’s a reminder that in our spheres of influence we can all make a difference. We can all choose to act with humility and kindness rather than evoke division.
Firstly, as Country SA PHN Chair and our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan Champion, I am pleased to support and promote our Reconciliation Action Plan across country South Australia.
Reconciliation is a process that brings together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Aboriginal people. It means working to overcome division and inequality. In our domain this means working to overcome the very real differences that we see in health outcomes, living standards and life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
As an organisation we have the capacity to directly promote reconciliation through our relationships with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and other programs which are focussed on improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes across the state.
Our plan assists us to maintain focus on the important work of reconciliation by improving relationships and addressing disadvantage. Only once we have reconciled the past can we walk together into a shared future.
As a Primary Health Network, we are fortunate to be able to collaborate with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) in country South Australia. We work with ACCHOs to fund health services that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. These include Moorundi Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service, Yadu Health Aboriginal Corporation, Umoona Tjutagku Health Service, Nganampa Health Council, Pangula Mannamurna, Pika Wiya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation, Port Lincoln Aboriginal Health Service, Oak Valley Health Service, Nunyara Aboriginal Health Service, Tullawon Health Service and Aboriginal Sobriety Group.
The activities include: Chronic Disease Management, Ngangkari Services, Mental Health and Alcohol and other Drug services, health navigation and workforce support.
Another of our collaborations has resulted in an innovative program specifically designed to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people discuss palliative and end of life care. Working with Healthily (a health technology company specialising in patient education) our Palliative Care and Digital Health Teams have developed regionally relevant, culturally appropriate palliative care, Advanced Care Directive and end of life education and health literacy. This activity supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and improves the delivery of health care messaging for people diagnosed with life limiting conditions and their carers. Patients can receive a SMS direct to their smart phones allowing them to access videos featuring respected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community leaders discussing palliative and end of life care. Our thanks to Uncle Major ‘Moogy’ Sumner, Uncle Adrian Ware, Aunty Michelle Jacquelin-Furr, Margi Sumner and Shyla Mills Palliative Care SA Chief Executive Officer for participating in the videos and providing culturally appropriate palliative care education for country South Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. If you are an Aboriginal Health Service or a General Practice and you are interested in accessing the GoShare bundles please contact support@countrysaphn.com.au.
National Palliative Care Week is an important way to raise general awareness about palliative care. It’s a week when we help to put ‘Matters of Life and Death’ front and centre.
“We understand that death and dying is a difficult subject to talk about and engage with, but this year we have some powerful voices joining the campaign to inspire and start important conversations,” said Camilla Rowland, CEO Palliative Care Australia.
Many of us have been touched by palliative care through our loved ones. Even though end of life is one of life’s certainties palliative care and end of life care are often confused and/or misunderstood. As such, the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care has developed its own funding stream for Palliative Care through PHNs. Country SA PHN’s Palliative Care Lead, Sally (Sal) Patten is passionate about palliative care. Sal is concentrating on optimising choice in the progression of life limiting illness to support county South Australian individuals, their families, and their carers to access palliative and end of life care in the home with a focus on greater choice in quality safe and culturally appropriate at home services.
GP awareness and education is important in the palliative care journey. It is particularly important for those working in rural and remote communities where GPs are central to community palliative care; forming the centre piece for palliative and end of life care where access to generalist and specialist home services is more limited.
This is particularly the case in country South Australia where we have a large ageing population with a high prevalence of chronic disease. Country South Australians also have reduced access to general and specialist health and home services. In addition, 12 per cent of country South Australians are informal carers for family members. This makes the role of the country GP as coordinator for all palliative care needs of vital importance.
In recognition of this role, Country SA PHN is looking at ways we can support GPs to feel confident and competent discussing and coordinating their patients in palliative and end of life care. One of the ways we are assisting is through the Palliative Care ECHO Program with Adelaide PHN and SAPMEA (South Australian Postgraduate Medical Education Association) for primary healthcare providers working with the community and residential aged care facilities. The six, virtual 75-minute sessions consist of a presentation and discussion on a case submitted by one of the participants. We are currently delivering the initial program with Series Two to build upon and supplement this course.
Health professionals can access Palliative Care information and referral pages, available through the HealthPathways SA portal.
We also have on our website two separate Palliative Care resource pages for:
