The Victorian government has released the long awaited end of life and palliative care framework. The framework aims to deliver care where and when people require it and ensure people from all walks of life can determine what happens to them at the end of their life. It recognises that palliative care services alone cannot meet the growing demand that our society will require for care in the final stage of life.

To achieve this, the framework aims to deliver actions on five priorities:
• delivering person-centred services
• engaging communities, embracing diversity
• coordinating and integrating services
• making quality end of life and palliative care everyone’s responsibility (not just those in the palliative care sector)
• strengthening specialist palliative care.

The goals nominated in the framework are that:

• People experience optimal end of life care.
• People’s pain and symptoms are managed using quality interventions.
• People’s preferences and values are recognised and respected
in their end of life care.
• Better support for carers.
• People are cared for in their place of choice.
• Where possible, people can choose to die in their place of choice.

It’s planned to try out different models of care, in order to improve coordination of care across services and deliver the right care in the right place at the right time. They plan to standardise community palliative care assessment and referral criteria.

Hmm, that all sounds nice. A bit light on detail perhaps? No mention of any financial support for services to be able to do this.

I would love to hear your thoughts!

Cheers, sonia