Page 228 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 26 February 2014
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An important part of a well-lived and healthy life should be a death that is as good an experience as it can possibly be made, given that, ultimately, I suppose you could say that no-one gets out alive. Ultimately, we just need to make sure that it is the best experience in the circumstances.
One issue that was made clear at the Local Hospital Network Council forum late last year was that, despite the progress made in current palliative care, a wider acceptance of the role of the whole health system in that care is needed. It is now widely accepted that health service management need to ensure that action is taken to embed sound palliative care practices across the whole health system.
I have previously acknowledged that, by its nature, talking about death and advanced care plans is complex. The challenge is bringing together medical and legal language, emotions, values, religion, culture and family. It is a cultural issue in our community. We have a multicultural, multifaith society, and the issues of managing that within a health system take on challenging dimensions. These are sensitive issues and touch the dying and their families at emotional and sensitive times. As we move to provide more and better palliative care programs, the needs of our multicultural, multifaith society will need to be acknowledged.
The key recommendations of the ACT Local Hospital Network Council’s end-of-life issues and decision-making forum include greater involvement and understanding across the community on end-of-life care issues. I certainly support the need for significant engagement in education with the diverse communities in the ACT to increase the understanding of what happens at the end of someone’s life and to understand the range of perspectives on this issue and people’s needs, and to normalise discussions of end of life.
A second issue discussed was increased information and awareness of the usefulness and benefits of advance care planning. I understand that there is, as I have said previously, a need to increase awareness of advance care plans in the media and through contemporary and traditional social networks and education campaigns.
A third issue was to create a greater acceptance of the value and importance of advance care planning amongst all carers and professionals. Certainly we hope that that is the case, and that primary healthcare professionals in particular are discussing advance care plans with their patients before they reach the acute care setting.
Item 4 was to clarify and simplify the legal framework for advance care planning and move towards a common framework and set of documents for them. Certainly it is important that the legal framework for advance care plans is clear. Moving towards a common framework is a desirable aim. Other issues included taking steps to make advance care planning easily available and options in end-of-life situations being openly discussed. I certainly welcome that discussion that is taking place.
There are three specific items in the motion that Ms Porter is calling on this Assembly to agree to. She calls on the government to continue raising end-of-life, palliative care and advance planning issues within the ACT community. I certainly support that
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