Compassionate Communities
Country WA Primary Health Networks was one of 11 PHNs from across the country granted funding by the Department of Health in 2018 to implement Greater Choice for At Home Palliative Care Measure.
The Great Southern Compassionate Communities pilot project utilised a framework, that seeks to increase patient/carer awareness of palliative care options (including ACP) and choices and facilitate greater community awareness of and integration into local assets and resources that can support end of life care at home.
Compassionate Communities is a public health approach to end-of-life care which expands the reach and effectiveness of formal end of life care services by engaging communities in caring for their own at the end of life.
Great Southern Compassionate Communities has established alliances between community, businesses, local government and health to build collaboration between siloed professions and sectors to strengthen the community and increase health seeking behaviors as well as addressing the social determinants of health such as social connection.
The Australian Government has extended the Greater Choice for at Home Palliative Care for a further 4 years from the 11 Primary Health Networks (PHNs) to all 31 PHNs nationally. WA Primary Health Alliance includes 3 PHN’s; WA Country PHN, Perth North PHN and Perth South PHN.
The assets from this project are available here.