From Stewart Island to Wellington, a wide range of health professionals joined together to discuss a variety of topics on the provision of high quality, consistent palliative care last month.
With representation across the sector covering clinical, management, community and hospital, the second annual South Island Palliative Care Engagement Forum was held at the South Island Alliance Programme Office in Christchurch on July 20. About 40 people joined the forum, with most attending via video conference. Topics on the agenda included ePrescribing, HealthPathways, VOICES (Views of Informal Carers – Evaluation of Services), and the suite of primary palliative care survey reports, which are still in progress. Also discussed was the Te Ara Whakapiri Toolkit, and the Ministry of Health’s Review of Adult Palliative Care Services in New Zealand and Palliative Care Action Plan, which were all released this year.
The forum was presented by the South Island Alliance’s Palliative Care Workstream and positive feedback was received from forum attendees, who appreciated the informative presentations followed by a chance to join in on the discussion. Dr Kate Grundy, Chair of the Palliative Care Workstream and Clinical Director of Integrated Palliative Care Service, led the forum and was one of six high-calibre speakers. Michelle Main, the Ministry of Health’s Palliative Care Programme Manager, also attended the forum and spoke about the work they are undertaking for the sector.
