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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-09-25 Daily Xml
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PALLIATIVE CARE

Ms SIMMONS (Morialta) (16:13): Earlier this month, I was privileged to open the second National Palliative Care Nurses Australia Conference entitled 'Leading and Learning'. I start by congratulating the organising committee led by Janet Taylor, who is the project manager of the Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach in South Australia based in SA Health; also Karen Puvogel, Clinical Service Coordinator at the Modbury Palliative Care Unit; and Karen Glaetzer, Nurse Practitioner—Palliative Care, Southern Adelaide Palliative Services and also chairperson of Palliative Care Nurses Australia.

Rachael Sporn, who is a great advocate for health in this state, was also a guest speaker at the conference, as was Dr Mary Vachon, who travelled from the University of Toronto in Canada to speak to the group. She was just one of the most amazing speakers. In my previous career, before coming to this place, both as CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Association and also as policy manager on the Council on the Ageing, I worked very closely with all levels of government to achieve a better quality of life for South Australians in the palliative care stage. I know how important it is to deal with the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the dying.

I think this house would agree that the role of a nurse places them in a privileged relationship with people they care for and what can be some of the most challenging times, particularly at the end of life. It is important that we recognise and celebrate the essential role that palliative care nurses, in particular, play in our health system.

I would also like to mention a very dear friend of mine who is currently in palliative care in the east wing of the Royal Adelaide Hospital. This person is an amazing lady who, for many years, was my PA, both at COTA and after coming into this place—Cathy Wilson—and I pay tribute to the nurses who are caring for this very special person at this time.

Here, in South Australia, the Department of Health's Nursing and Midwifery Office has a strong commitment to support nursing and midwifery clinical leaders in developing their knowledge, skill and leadership in the area of evidence-based practice and translating the evidence into practice. To this end, the Nursing and Midwifery Office is partnered with the National Institute of Clinical Studies, and co-sponsor of the 2008 SA Health Nursing and Midwifery Fellowship. This NICS fellowship is part of the National Health and Medical Research Council.

This year this prestigious national fellowship was awarded to Ms Wendy Jansen, who was present at the conference—and I pay tribute to her. She is a palliative care clinical practice consultant at the Lyell McEwin Hospital in Adelaide's northern suburbs. Ms Jansen will undertake a two-year implementation project to introduce best practice in palliative care in specialist areas which lie outside the hospital's palliative care unit. This is just one example of a palliative care nurse who, like many, has developed significant skills and expertise in contributing to the evolving specialty of palliative care.

As I am sure many members in this house are aware, palliative care nurses are embracing new clinical nursing leadership roles, such as clinical nurse, associate clinical service coordinator, clinical practice consultant, advanced clinical practice consultant and nurse practitioner status. All of this has been achieved through the willingness and determination of nurses to undertake new skills and approaches to advance their practice. It is important that we (the general public) do not underestimate the essential role that palliative care nurses play in the assessment and decision-making aspects of their practice.

In recent years palliative care nurses have been stepping forward as leaders at all sorts of levels: in the clinical arena as nurse practitioners; in the area of research which I have mentioned already; and in key service planning, project management and executive director roles. Nurses have also made a substantial contribution to the development of the new South Australian Palliative Care Services Plan which will guide the delivery of palliative care from 2008 through to 2016. The plan, which is soon to be released, looks to optimise contributions from all members of an interdisciplinary team; not just nursing expertise but allied health, pharmacy and psychosocial. End of life care will become a bigger part of the total work in the health system as the baby boomers age. I commend them all.

Time expired.

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