New palliative care education for aged care nurses and care workers will help deliver high quality end of life care, according to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF).
The Federal Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Senator Jacinta Collins, yesterday announced that $14.95 million had been awarded to a consortium of palliative care and aged care organisations, under the Federal Government’s $3.7 billion Living Longer, Living Better aged care reforms.
ANMF Federal Secretary, Lee Thomas, said today the funding would provide specialist education for nurses and care staff working in aged care facilities and caring for older people in their homes.
“The ANMF welcomes initiatives like these which assist nurses and care staff to deliver effective pain management and quality, compassionate care to people when and where they need it, in addition to providing best practice support for their families, and friends,” Ms Thomas said.
“As the current aged care workforce continues to face the challenges of Australia’s rapidly ageing population, it is imperative that nurses and care staff working in aged care and palliative care are given the opportunity to continue to advance their skills and expertise through specialist education.”
The funding package will also strengthen links between doctors, nursing homes and palliative care services and a 24/7 national telephone line will be set-up to advise aged care staff and GPs on palliative care issues.
The ANMF, with over 230,000 members, is the professional and industrial voice for nurses, midwives and assistants in nursing in Australia.
