Gold Coast palliative team making the city the best place for end of life care
We all know the Gold Coast is one of the best places in the world to live, now meet the team working to make it the best place to die.
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WE ALL know the Gold Coast is one of the best places in the world to live, now meet the team working to make it the best place to die.
The award-winning Gold Coast Health palliative care team has made a name for itself in the end of life space as innovators, working to assist over 2000 locals and their families each year.
With a nationally recognised collaborative approach, the small team of doctors, nurses, allied health professionals have become known for their passion for world-class treatment, community education programs and pursuit of research to improve the experience of patients.
Home to the state’s largest and fastest growing over 65 population, Gold Coast Health Director of Palliative Care Dr Andrew Broadbent said it is imperative the region stay ahead of the curve when it comes to end of life care.
In recent years care at home has become a big part of the work of the team, who offers telle health conferencing to allow patients to reduce unnecessary travel and assist patients in making the most out of the time they have left.
The service has also been responsible for other initiatives including virtual reality therapy and education of GPs on how to have end of life conversations and training nurses in the unit to undertake ultrasounds to reduce patient movement.
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“The Gold Coast is unique across Australia as a rapid high growth population particularly in the age care group with a large number of residential aged care facilities,” Dr Broadbent said.
“We have a relatively small health service for the population, so the best thing going forward is making resources available to help people achieve a positive end of life, avoiding hospital, staying at home where they feel comfortable,” Dr Broadbent said.
The Gold Coast has since become the biggest provider of telehealth of any service and the biggest provider across Australia.
“We were doing this before covid hit. Traditionally it was used in regional areas however, has been used locally as a way to get the right care to people at the right time.
“Nursing staff would still contact at the patient's home but the innovation gives people the care need instead of waiting.”
“We also provide care from the Gold Coast to regional areas across Queensland.”
Palliative care specialist Dr Nicola Morgan worked as a GP for more than a decade has also been at the forefront of education programs that have changed the way the aged care providers deal with palliative care.
Through a pilot program the service has allowed those in nursing homes decide for themselves where they would like to pass.
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“We have 59 aged care homes on the Gold Coast and before this had no programs for palliative care in these spaces,” Dr Morgan said.
“Within 6 months the team looked after patients in 50 of the 56 facilities, of those 89 per cent died in aged care facility.
“Our data shows 96 per cent died where they chose to die and we estimated in that period of time we avoided 96 hospital admissions.
“This shows a very effective service in giving people a good death.”
Dr Morgan said good end of life care also has a benefit on the families.
“When someone dies their relatives carry on living and they can be really traumatised by what happens at the end of their life,” she said.
“But if things went according to that persons wishes, there is evidence that a ‘good death’ their family grieves better.
“Which again also has a positive impact on the health service.
“Knowing your loved one had wishes fulfilled is a powerful tool, this is why we keep doing what we do.”
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