During the week the IMPACCT (Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic Care through Clinical Research and Translation) program delivered another Masterclass in Palliative Care, this time in Queanbeyan (Southern NSW Local Health District).
The Masterclasses are designed to build palliative care workforce capacity in regional areas.
Local CNC Jacky Clancy said that SNSWLHD provided 30 places on the 2 day course, and the South Eastern NSW Primary Health Network Coordinare provided 10 places in the course to GPs and Practice Nurses.
“There was a good representation from GPs, practice nurses, palliative care nurses and allied health including social work, OT and pharmacy – which gave a reasonably good representation of the multidisciplinary teams that we all work in.”
“It was great to have the perspective of different members of the multi-disciplinary team when we looked at the different issues and to hear what sorts of things were challenging people, and what things they were using that have been successful.”
According to IMPACCT the Masterclasses ‘have been developed in consultation with industry leaders from Local Health Districts with educational content targeted specifically to meet local need’.
Professor Jane Philips heads up the IMPACCT at UTS and presented at the Queanbeyan course, along with Professor Meera Agar, Robyn Atwell and Anne Marie Hosie.
UTS are on track to roll-out their suite of post graduate palliative care courses in early 2019.
Coordinare has recognised end-of-life care as one of their 6 priority areas in their recent strategic plan.
According to Coordinare’s Health Priority: End of Life Care publication the South Eastern NSW catchment has areas with higher-than-average number of persons aged 65 years, highest in NSW state median age, as well as pockets where an exponential growth in prevalence of dementia is being projected.
(Pic credit Sydney Morning Herald)