Workshops / Panels

Led by Hunter New England Health.  Panelists: Professor Brian Kelly, Psychiatrist, Supportive Care and Chronic Disease / Troy Arnold, Social Worker, Supportive Care and Chronic Disease / Sarah Pullen, Team Leader, Supportive Care and Chronic Disease / Cameron Robson, CNC, Cardiac Coordinator (HNELHD) /  Emma McNamara, Palliative Care Educator (HNELHD)

People with pre-existing significant mental health conditions are at greater risk of chronic disease, greater morbidity and mortality, and poorer access to palliative care. Similarly, people with advanced chronic physical illness have high levels of unmet mental health needs. A multidisciplinary panel will comprise clinicians across Hunter New England LHD to discuss existing evidence, experiences and challenges in provision of mental health aspects of care for people with advanced chronic disease and multiple conditions. A district wide clinical service model will be presented including experience over a 12-month period in establishing a dedicated program to provide triage, assessment and evaluation to address unmet psychosocial needs among patients suffering advanced non-malignant disease, and their carer’s. Data will be presented regarding service activity and outcomes, along with a panel discussion regarding service challenges, including examples of successful innovation in care of people with multimorbidity and significant mental health needs at end of life across diverse settings.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the common mental health needs among people with advanced physical illness and the implications for their care.
• Identify strategies and models of care to improve the recognition of and response to mental health needs in this population including health service collaboration and multidisciplinary approaches, with reference to rural and regional communities.

Led by Dr Stephen Ginsborg (Compassionate Communities Australia) & Jessie Williams (Proveda)

Come into a nurturing space where you will be greeted with kindness and a deep sense of camaraderie as we dialogue and add to our compassionate community skill set. Across the 90 minutes together, we will:

• Expand and deepen our awareness of the relational qualities required
• Expand our awareness of the many different  actions that community members can take
• Learn simple activities and approaches that engage people in the end-of-life conversations, respectful of their comfort level.
• Apply all this to your future community engagement activities, including on Dying to Know Day and during National Palliative Care Week

This is a workshop where you will decide, from your experience, how you can engage with community citizens.  Your facilitators will help guide and inspire through dialogue, story and community building techniques. Compassionate communities is a hot topic right now, so for anyone wanting to know more, this is a good workshop to attend.

Led by Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District: Una Turalic (Senior Cross Cultural Development Officer), Emma Dixon (Nurse Educator), and David Gillett (Senior Aboriginal Health Worker)

Learning Objectives

• Demographic Information- CALD Population in NSW
• Culture and Cultural Responsiveness
• Patient Journey Activity
• How to identify Cultural and Spiritual Needs
• How to negotiate between differing belief systems in health care
• Skills and knowledge around assessing the need for interpreter
• Resources
• Questions

Led by Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District

Panellists include Sally Connell (Allied Health Educator), Anna Fulford (Allied Health Team Leader), Ashlie Taylor (Community Nurse Manager), Mira Glavan (Nurse Practitioner) and Anita Hartati (University of Wollongong, PCOC Improvement Facilitator)

Specialist Allied Health representation in Palliative Care is steadily growing. Services are recognising the need for comprehensive interdisciplinary assessments and management for good quality care. However, with this increase of Allied Health staff working with Specialist Palliative Care services some issues can arise. The difference between access to general Allied Health clinicians versus Specialist Allied Health staff can impact a service’s ability to grow and develop and there can be difficulties with governance and escalation pathways for operational or clinical issues. Embedding Allied Health into the model of care of a service requires Allied Health to have a seat at the table. Through investment into Allied Health Leadership in every Palliative Care service we can see patient and cost saving benefits, as well as staff satisfaction.

This panel will provide reflections on the experience of embedding specialist Allied Health positions and leadership into a Palliative Care community service over a 3-year period.

Learning Objectives

• Honest reflections on what the experience has been like for both managers and staff.
• The different experience of being managed by a Specialist Palliative Care Allied Health manager versus a discipline specific Manager.
• What are the benefits to the medical and nursing professionals and the patients?
• Concrete strategies for implementing better Allied Health leadership in other services, including reviewing what roles might sit in this space.
• How does the data, including Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC), reflect the change.
• Anticipatory versus responsive care in Palliative Care and how Allied Health Leadership drives this.