Palliative Care Useful Resources

Recognising and growing the palliative care skills of allied health professionals

A discussion document written by the Allied Health Workgroup (AHW) has been released (Oct 2022) by the Palliative Care Workstream.

The AHW were tasked with evaluating the palliative care training and support that is currently available to their allied health colleagues throughout Te Waipounamu South Island and investigating ways that allied health professionals (AHPs) can be better supported to develop their palliative care skills and confidence.

This discussion document is formative, aspirational and collaborative. It can be used as a starting point for AHPs who wish to further develop their skills, or furthermore, to work as part of a specialist palliative care service. Employers should find the proposed palliative care competencies useful for developing job descriptions, career pathways, workplace education programmes, and individual development plans for their allied health workforce.

The Palliative Care Workstream will disseminate this discussion document to the relevant professional bodies and allied health leaders and networks. We welcome all readers to join the dialogue.

Recognising and growing the palliative care skills of allied health professionals Oct 2022

VOICES survey results

The South Island Alliance Palliative Care Workstream (PCW) is pleased to release the results of our first South Island VOICES (Views of Informal Carers Evaluation of Services) pilot survey of bereaved people. Over 500 people from around the South Island gave their views on the quality of care provided by health services during the last three months of their partner, relative or friend’s life. This is the first time a regional survey of bereaved people has been undertaken in the South Island. The results give us a snapshot of peoples’ experiences and perceptions and will help a wide range of health services to review and plan care for people facing end-of-life illness.

Special thanks go to those who participated in the survey, and to Kate Reid and the University of Canterbury for undertaking this important research.

Read the South Island VOICES Statistical Bulletin and the supporting dataset.

Palliative care survey reports

During 2015 and 2016 the Palliative Care Workstream undertook five surveys to ascertain the status of palliative care across the South Island and what progress has been made towards the implementation of the Resource and Capability Framework for Adult and Palliative Care Services in New Zealand (2013). The first two surveys examined specialist palliative care services and three further surveys explored the provision of ‘primary palliative care’ across the wider health system. The groups surveyed here were: DHB Planning and Funding, Aged Residential Care and Primary Health Organisations. We are delighted to be in a position to publish the full suite of reports on the SIA website. Our thanks to SPaIT for their support and guidance during this very lengthy process and to all those of you who assisted us with providing your information and your time by completing the surveys:

• Hospital palliative care (April 2016)
• Hospice services (July 2016)
• Aged Residential Care (May 2017)
• Primary Health Organisations (August 2017)
• DHB planning and funding (November 2017, amended March 2018)
• Primary Palliative Care Executive Summary (March 2018)
• Summary of findings and next steps (May 2018)

Other resources

• Dr Kate Grundy, Consultant Physician in Palliative Medicine, Canterbury DHB and former Chair of the South Island Palliative Care Workstream: An editorial on palliative care 
• National Paediatric Palliative Care Guidelines (produced by the National Paediatric Palliative Care Clinical Network with the support of the Ministry of Health) – is intended to be used by secondary medical, nursing and allied health providers who care for babies, children and young people at the end of life. It is not intended that the guidelines be used by primary care providers or by providers in neonatal intensive units.
• Te Ara Whakapiri: Principles and guidance for the last days of life (Ministry of Health, December 2015) – outlines the essential components and considerations required to promote quality care at the end of life for all adults in New Zealand. It also provides examples of useful approaches and tools that will serve as aids for the development of national and/or local resources as part of implementation.