Dr Peta McVey, PCNSW Palliative Care Guidance Manager, recently provided another professional education session for the Cancer Information and Support Service Division, Cancer Council as part of their professional development day. There were around 60 people attending on the day.
The audience comprised of nurses and allied health professionals who deliver emotional support, cancer information and navigation support to people affected by cancer, counsellors who provide 1:1 psychological support, staff who have a legal or financial background who provide legal and financial advice, administrative staff who deliver our practical supports (financial and accommodation grants) and community engagement staff who sit across offices in regional and rural NSW who run community screening and prevention activations in local communities and are the central point of contact for local communities across NSW.
Staff were provided with an overview of palliative care, the history behind the development as a speciality, triggers that would highlight when a referral is necessary and how to access services. Some tips of how to begin a conversation around prognosis and end of life care was also addressed. Both the clinical and non-clinical staff provided great feedback and were given ample time to address general questions.
Staff were also provided with useful web resources to help with future learning and an overview of how to look up palliative care services via the PCNSW Service Directory. This was a great opportunity to connect with an organisation to support their palliative care learning which in turn assists the Cancer Council teams to support their local communities.