Boost in funds for terminal ill care

MORE terminally ill people will have the support they need to be able to die in their homes under a regional palliative care funding boost.

Minister for Health Jill Hennessy announced on Friday that consultancy services across the region, through the Barwon South Western Palliative Care Consultancy Service, will receive $225,000 for additional support.

Clinical director of community health rehabilitation and palliative care Dr Toni Hogg said the need for palliative care in the Geelong and Bellarine region had grown significantly in recent years.

The funding will help provide additional nurse practitioner hours, additional palliative care consultancy, and more allied health services — including physio and occupational therapy, social work, psychology and pastoral care — to the service.

Dr Hogg said the funding would help in new advances in medical treatment and enable staff to provided more face-toface contact and visits.

“We provide palliative care to people of all ages. A large proportion of our patients are people with cancer or neurodegenerative diseases like motor neuron disease.”

The State Government is investing more than $62 million in additional funding over five years to support more terminally ill Victorians to be cared for, and die, at home.

In 2017, the government invested $1.25 million to establish a 24-hour expert palliative care advice line, $3.86 million to improve access to community palliative services for people living in regional Victoria and $10 million in grants for end-of- life ancillary support services.

Health minister Jill Hennessy said funding boosts will provide home-based palliative care for additional 1215 people and their families.

“We know most people want to die at home, close to family and loved ones. This boost will give people with a terminal illness in regional Victoria more support to be cared for at home,” Ms Hennessy said.