Call for more in-home palliative care funding

A rise in the number of Australians needing palliative care has sparked calls for more funding for end-of-life care in the home. Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has shown a steady increase in hospital admissions for end-of-life care, according to Tracey Porst (pictured), CEO of palliative care provider Karuna Hospice Services.

“The latest figures show it grew by a third between 2015 and 2020. At Karuna, we believe our services enable capacity within the hospital and health system. “Our average period of service is 106 days, so if for much of that time we can help keep people out of hospital, that makes a big difference to their life, the lives of their friends and family and also the hospital system,” she said.

The AIHW data showed that 97% of people in their last year of life – or around 1.1 million – used at least one of the four health services, including hospital and emergency department admissions, Medicare Benefits Schedule services, and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme prescriptions. According to Tracey, COVID-19 has exacerbated the demand for palliative care, and funding more community-based services would allow terminally ill people to die at home.

“Obviously it was difficult for families to visit their loved one in hospital during the lockdown, so opting for an in-home service made sense. With this newest wave of COVID, I believe we’ll see more families choosing services such as ours,” she said.

The former Morrison Government last year announced a $56 million funding boost for palliative care.