Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister for Health and Ageing, in writing, on 30 May 2011:

In the 2008, 2009 and 2010 and 2011 (to date) calendar years:

(1) How many people died of a terminal illness in hospital.

(2) How many people died in (a) palliative, and (b) in-patient palliative, care facilities.

(3) How many palliative care facility out-patients died at home.

(4) What information exists on terminally ill patient preferences for dying in (a) hospitals, (b) palliative care facilities, or (c) home.

(5) What information exists concerning the cost implications of terminally ill patients dying in (a) hospitals, (b) palliative care facilities, or (c) home.

(6) What policies has the Government developed to help manage the needs of the terminally ill, including the costs.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

(1) The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has reported that 74,365, 74,380 and 73,033 admitted patients died in hospital in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 respectively. Data on their causes of death are not available.

(2), (3) and (4) No national data are available for the past ten years, and no surveys have been published on these matters since 2003.

(5) No national studies have been conducted concerning the cost implications of caring for terminally ill patients in different care settings.

(6) The Australian Government has policies in place to increase patients' access to subacute care services, including palliative care, to help manage the needs of the terminally ill.

Through the subacute care component of the National Partnership Agreement on Hospital and Health Workforce Reform, the Australian Government provided $500 million in June 2009 to expand states and territories' provision of subacute care, including palliative care, over the period 2009-10 to 2012-13.

The Australian Government has committed a further $1.623 billion over the four years 2010-11 to 2013-14 through the subacute care element of the National Partnership Agreement on Improving Public Hospital Services, for states and territories to deliver and operate at least 1,300 new subacute care beds and equivalent community-based services nationally, including for palliative care.

The National Palliative Care Strategy released in February 2011 outlines a number of action areas. The initial priorities for implementation of the Strategy include work on: