Mr Hazzard met members of the Orange Push for Palliative Care group at Bloomfield Hospital on Monday.

Group chair Jenny Hazelton said he told them he would take the issue to health ministry officials next week and respond to the group “in a month.”

The state budget will be handed down in two weeks and the group was hopeful the $1.5-2 million being sought for the unit would be included.

Mrs Hazelton said members left the meeting feeling positive the end-of-life care unit would finally be provided for Orange, even though a hoped-for funding announcement from the minister did not happen on Monday.

“We would have loved an announcement but that was a bit unrealistic of us to expect,” she said.

“He said he would talk to the ministry people and the money people next week and he said he would get back to us in a month.

“The timing couldn’t be better for us as far as the budget goes.”

It will be delivered on Tuesday June 19.

She said the minister had shown support for the public-private model being proposed by the group for Orange.

Dudley Private Hospital has offered four beds for both public and private patients to receive palliative care.

“He certainly felt the Dudley option was a reasonable option,” she said.

“The minister listened very carefully to us and he asked good questions. We certainly got his attention.”

Mrs Hazelton said palliative care was needed away from the acute care wards of the Orange hospital.

“The pace needs to be much slower, it needs to be measured, calm and peaceful,” she said.

Earlier in the day Mr Hazzard said the government was working to improve palliative care in regional NSW.

“Palliative care was an area of care that I think for many years didn’t get the appropriate focus,” he said.

Mr Hazzard said public discussions last year were followed by $100 million in palliative care expenditure.

“Now the challenge is to get appropriate facilities in and around the regions,” Mr Hazzard said.