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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-10-16 Daily Xml
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INTERNATIONAL HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE DAY

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton) (14:58): My question is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Can the minister inform the house about International Hospice and Palliative Care Day and the new End of Life Ministerial Advisory Committee?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:59): On Monday, I was pleased to host an afternoon tea here at Parliament House for 50 workers and volunteers in the aged and palliative care areas to celebrate International Hospice and Palliative Care Day.

Palliative and end-of-life medical staff provide support that often crosses the boundaries between the medical and social, practical and emotional, and between the scientific and intuitive. It was a wonderful opportunity to thank the staff and volunteers for the hard work that they provide in our community, as well as to listen to their stories and feedback about the services that are currently being provided.

On Monday, I also attended the 2013 Palliative Care Awards at Government House. I would like to put on the record my congratulations to all of those who won awards: in particular, the Umoona Aged Care Aboriginal Corporation, in Coober Pedy (in the electorate of the member for Giles) which received both the Aboriginal Palliative Care Award as well as the award for Teamwork; and Martin and Michelle Roberts, who received the award for Outstanding Philanthropy, as well as the overall award for their contribution to paediatric palliative care.

Michelle and Martin's son, Sam, passed away in 2004, and since then they have turned their experience into a positive for our community, raising over half a million dollars to subsidise the delivery of paediatric palliative care across South Australia. On Monday, I was also pleased to catch up with members of the newly-established End of Life Ministerial Advisory Committee, which has been created to provide advice on:

current matters about end-of-life care, palliative care and advance care planning;

aspects of end-of-life care, advance care planning and palliative care relevant to other areas, including aged care, primary care and acute care; and

reforms to improve end-of-life care, palliative care and advance care planning for South Australians at or approaching the end of their lives.

The members of the committee are: The Hon. Martyn Evans, former minister for health, and Advance Directives Review Committee Chairperson; Margaret Brown, Research Fellow of the Hawke Research Institute; Craig Whitehead, Chair of the SA Health Older Persons Clinical Network, Associate Professor Rehabilitation and Aged Care, and Director of Orthogeriatrics at the Repat; Mary Brooksbank, who of course is the Chair of the SA Palliative Care Council; Chris Boundy, from the Legal Services Commission of South Australia; and Jeremy Moore, President of the Guardianship Board of South Australia. I understand that the committee met for the first time yesterday, and I am looking forward to working with them to develop better ways to provide the crucial end-of-life care for all members of our community.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the doctors, nurses, medical staff and volunteers who work tirelessly in the areas of aged, end-of-life and palliative care. These people provide some of the most important care in our health system, making sure patients who require care in their final stages of life are comfortable and can die with the dignity that they deserve.

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