Page 2963 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 August 2013
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are easily accessible and systems act upon them and also the discussion around recognition that at times perhaps the most appropriate care is not providing further treatment.
Work is already progressing in a number of these areas, and Health, I think, have already started the work. But the increase in funding, which is part of the shared agenda between ACT Labor and the Greens—and indeed we made some commitments of our own around it in the election campaign—is about respecting patient choices, making sure that there are the resources to underpin the work that needs to be done to ensure people are getting the information they need and then making the decisions they need about their care.
This will include the translation of advanced care planning information and documentation into other languages and also looking at culturally appropriate information to be provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and of course targeting financially and socially disadvantaged groups.
A mobile clinic for advanced care planning will also be set up and trialled in the community. The Health Directorate will be tendering for a community organisation to deliver the advanced care planning education and awareness program in the community, with the overall outcome of the increased resources ultimately to increase awareness and uptake of advanced care planning. I think there is a huge capacity to improve the uptake of advanced care planning and increase the understanding and uptake of advanced care planning within specific population groups.
It is interesting to look at the amount of interest in the health system overall. Just take the example of the beginning of life and the issues around women and their choices around birthing, the amount of work, the amount of education, the amount of lead-up care that they actually get before they have a baby, including the different options available to them. Would they like midwife-led care? Would they like doctor-led care? Do they want shared care with their GP? Would they like a low-intervention birth? Do they need a high-intervention birth? They are all options that are canvassed comprehensively, not just with the expectant mother but with her partner. Indeed, I am sure many women are discussing it with their family.
But when you look at end-of-life care, it really could not be more different in terms of the informed decisions that are taken by people, when they are well, about what they would like to see happen if they are in the situation where they have got to consider how they want end-of-life care and treatment provided to them. And that is the issue here. We do not talk about it enough. People do not think through what type of care they would like or, indeed, whether they would like any care to be provided at that time. And that is because it is a hard conversation to have with your family.
I lost both my parents to terminal cancer very young. You are dealing with the fact that your parents should not have been ill in the first place, and it is an extremely difficult conversation to have. I think everyone tries to focus on, “Don’t worry, you will get better.” There are all these other options before you put up the white flag and say that there is not anything further that can be done.
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