Western NSW Local Health District executive director of allied health and innovation Richard Cheney said the deed of agreement with the preferred contractor would soon be signed, pending a final site inspection this Friday. 

The service will provide four beds at a site separate to the current public hospital, as an extension of Orange Health Service’s palliative care capacity. 

“We hope that the service will be up and running in the first quarter of next year,” Mr Cheney said.

He said some acute patients might still have to be taken to Orange Health Service.

“Other people who are currently within the hospital, if they are stable, their end-of-life care will be able to be transferred,” he said. 

The service will run as a 12-month trial initially, with continued monitoring to evaluate and improve its success.

“We want to evaluate the service ourselves to determine, have we actually got it right? Is it the right number of beds? Is it the right type of service?” Mr Cheney said.

He said the LHD did not want to risk losing the facility after 12 months.

“It’s really important for the community of Orange that we don’t go backwards and after 12 months move into a hiatus where there is no service,” he said.

“We want to be able to continue it – hopefully midstream we’ll be able to announce the tenderer for the permanent service.”

Mr Cheney said while the tenders had been assessed, the LHD had been working on admission and transfer processes, plus involving GPs. 

Member for Orange Phil Donato said he was pleased to reach the milestone after two years chairing a a working group for the facility.

“To be honest, I thought it would have taken a little bit less time than two years, but there’s a due process that has to be followed and it takes time,” he said. 

“But we’re at the position now where it looks like there will be a facility running in the first quarter of January, which will be great.”

Orange Push for Palliative president Jenny Hazelton said the group wanted to see best practice care.

“One of the things we’ve raised with the LHD is that this is only for end-of-life care beds and two of the real tenants of best practice palliative care is the opportunity for families to have respite care and also symptom control and pain management,” she said.

Ms Hazelton said the group intended to meet with the contractor and maintain involvement during the term of the trial.

“We will appreciate a lot of feedback and we’ll continue to work with ... Phil Donato and we will continue working to make sure this is the service our community deserves,” she said. 

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