Palliative Care NSW (PCNSW) completed this scoping study to examine the availability and accessibility of Palliative Care services for homeless individuals within regional, rural and remote areas of New South Wales (NSW). This study builds upon the findings of the previous scoping study Homelessness and Palliative Care: A Scoping Study in Metropolitan Sydney (Metropolitan study), conducted by PCNSW (2022) as part of a National Project by Palliative Care Australia (PCA). While the first study shed light on the barriers that inhibit or prevent access to Palliative Care by those experiencing homelessness in Metropolitan Sydney, regional, rural and remote areas of NSW face unique challenges and therefore required additional investigation.
PCNSW would like to thank everyone who contributed to this study. Health workers from LHDs in regional, rural and remote NSW were interviewed by phone, to gather the first-hand accounts of experiences providing palliative care to homeless patients in these areas. The experiences shared by the study participants were extremely insightful and provided a focus for this study. Their participation has significantly contributed to a better understanding of the barriers preventing homeless patients from accessing quality palliative care, as well as how health workers provide this care.
Click HERE to read the Homelessness and Palliative Care Scoping Study in Regional, Rural and Remote NSW.