Palliative care leaders say federal election candidates have offered scant detail on how they will guarantee dignified end‑of‑life support for the 400 Australians who die of predictable causes each day.
“We have heard very little from those standing for election about improving access to palliative care,” Dr Peter Allcroft, chair of Palliative Care Australia (PCA), said at the campaign’s halfway point.
When the issue is raised, ministers point to the Support at Home End of Life Pathway due to start on 1 July. The program will give people over 65 who are expected to die within three months a one‑off $25,000 package for in‑home services. Ninety per cent of patients say they want to receive care at home.
Dr Allcroft welcomed the reform but warned that its strict eligibility rules and time limits would exclude many families.
“This limits the number of patients and families who will benefit. Rather than setting strict criteria about life expectancy, which can be very hard to predict, we’d rather see the program be available on the basis of need,” he said.
Under current rules patients who outlive the 16‑week allowance drop back to a lower‑level package. “If someone lives beyond the approved time frame, at the moment, those patients will lose that higher level of care and go back to a lower‑level package – for administrative reasons, not because that’s in their best interests,” Dr Allcroft said.
PCA wants an exemptions process so that people who are “close to death don’t miss out on vital at‑home support at the very time when they need it the most.”
The group is also urging both major parties to fix Medicare funding for GPs and nurses who deliver palliative care in the community.
“Without reform to how primary care practices are remunerated; the primary care system will struggle to meet the growing need for palliative care,” Dr Allcroft said. “With growth in the 85‑plus population on track to triple in the next 7 years, we have no time to waste.”
PCA has submitted a list of priority actions and a petition with more than 40,000 signatures to all candidates. Dr Allcroft said voters expect “tangible commitments” before polling day.
Read also: Providing palliative care services to regional, rural and remote patients
Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.
