Leah Robinson from the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia will share her story 

Palliative Care: A vital component of the Australian Cancer Plan 

Palliative care is an important component of the cancer journey, helping people live as fully and as comfortably as possible with a life limiting illness. Shaping stronger health systems to deliver high quality palliative care is an essential part of the Australian Cancer Plan (The Plan).

The Plan presents a once in a generation opportunity for equitable cancer control reform for the next decade and beyond. It is designed to make world-class cancer outcomes and experiences a reality for all Australians affected by cancer across the entire cancer care continuum, including those accessing palliative care. An ambition of the Plan is a capable and future-focused cancer workforce that delivers culturally safe, equitable, timely and person-centred palliative care optimising outcomes and experiences for all Australians affected by cancer.

A multifaceted stakeholder engagement strategy was undertaken, aimed at improving equitable patient experiences and outcomes for priority population groups. Feedback was received from consumers, peak body organisations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and health services, government, and non-government organisations. 

Stakeholders stressed the importance of national coordination and investment to ensure palliative care is adequately resourced. Stakeholders also highlighted the need for equitable, culturally safe, personalised, and accessible models of palliative care that are integrated across acute and community care services to achieve comprehensive navigation.  

Achieving the ambitions of the Plan is a shared responsibility requiring coordinated action across the cancer control system.Cancer Australia invites partners from across the cancer control sector to consider their contribution to this national reform agenda.


Authors: 

The UN Single Convention of Narcotic Drugs (1962) recognized that the medical use of narcotic drugs continues to be indispensable for the relief of pain and suffering, and that adequate provision must be made to ensure the availability of narcotic drugs for such purposes.

 

How much of a reality has this become throughout the world, and especially in Oceania?

There continues to be great variation in access to opioids around Oceania and the Western Pacific.  International Narcotic Control Board (INCB) data for 2020, expressed in morphine equivalents mg/person, illustrate these differences.

High Income CountriesL Singapore,13.21, Japan, 21.38, Republic of Korea/South Korea, 48.56; New Zealand 78.4; Australia 186.7. 

Low and Middle income countries: Fiji,1.83; Philippines, 0.56; Palau, 0.55; Tuvalu, 0.09; Tonga, 0.01; Tuvalu, 0.09; Papua New Guinea, Guinea, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands; 0 mg/person.

 

Countries have the ability to use more opioids, submitting estimates of need to the INCB, using its guidelines. A simple estimate in Timor Leste showed a minimum annual need of 60 kg as opposed to the 1 kg currently consumed per year.

 

Dr Cleary will explore opportunities to overcome the multiple barriers that exist in each country, to improve the supply chain issues that have been worsened by COVID-19 pandemic and to address education on the use of medical opioids, long identified by WHO as essential medicines.

Sponsored by Invocare

Palliative care is a basic human right, yet is it accessible to everyone? Is it accessible everywhere? Or is this still an aspiration even in Australia? The latest statistics show that palliative care related hospitalisations have increased at double the rate of other hospitalisations and the majority of Australians are still dying in hospitals, adding to the increased pressure on the paid workforce and hospitals. Surely it is time to seriously rethink care at end of life? Research indicates a solely clinical model of palliative care is inadequate to address the complex aspects of death, dying, loss and grief. There needs to be a shift: Specialist and generalist palliative care, civic organisations and community networks must collaborate in order to create an effective, inclusive, affordable and sustainable end-of-life care system. 

This presentation will address why and how each of us can play a stronger role in supporting people who are caring, dying or grieving, and will share key findings on how we can enable and encourage social networks to support people at end of life. For palliative care to be accessible to everyone and everywhere, the community needs to be an equal partner in providing quality health care, leading to better quality of life and better quality of death. 

Adopting a Compassionate Communities approach recognizes that it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that when caregiving, dying and grieving knock at our door - wherever we are, and whoever we are – that compassionate support will be found in all aspects of our lives and deaths. 

Presentation Theme: Facing the challenges