After years of struggle and campaigning, Orange is a step closer to getting its own palliative care facility.
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Under the proposal public and private patients could gain access to four palliative care beds at Dudley Private Hospital.
Dudley Private Hospital acting chief executive officer Prudence Buist said the hospital, which is part of Ramsay Health Care, would have doctors on site during the day and general practitioners would be on call at night.
“The hospital has been put forward for four specialist beds and they would be all single rooms so patients could be surrounded by family,” Mrs Buist said.
There would also be kitchenette facilities for families to access and areas where they can rest.
“It’s not just end of life, palliative care is for the last year,” Mrs Buist said.
“We’d like to do this as soon as possible, we are ready on our side, we are just waiting for the contract with the Western NSW Local Health District (LHD).”
Mrs Buist said the Orange branch of Push for Palliative had been stepping things up in relation to the proposal since September.
Orange Push for Palliative president Jenny Hazelton said the potential facility will be discussed at a palliative care forum in Orange from 1pm on May 20 at Orange Ex Services’ Club.
Mrs Buist will be among the key speakers.
“It’s a strong option that could come into play if [details] are sorted out but there’s a lot of things that need to align,” Mrs Hazelton said.
“We have excellent palliative care services with a team, but we don’t have the accommodation.
“People in our local community deserve to be able to be cared for in a peaceful, calm and passionate environment where they are pain free and have excellent care.
“We are also inviting NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard to speak, along with head of the LHD Scott McLachlan, Helen Miller representing LiveBetter, member for Orange Phil Donato, Member for Calare Andrew Gee and staunch palliative care advocate Dr Yvonne McMaster.”
Mrs Hazelton said last year 10,000 signatures were gathered on a petition about the issue and Mr Donato presented it to state parliament.
The forum follows up from a previous forum 350 people attended in Orange two years ago.
It will coincide with National Palliative Care Week from May 20 to 26.
“There are a lot of people who are interested in this, it’s a service that we had, which we don’t [now],” Mrs Hazelton said.