Strengthening Communities of Care

Palliative Care Tasmania (PCT) worked with the Tasmanian Department of Health (DoH), along with other stakeholders, to develop the Government’s Strengthening Communities of Care: A Strategy to Build the Capacity and Capability of all Tasmanians in Palliative Care

PCT was then funded by the Department of Health to facilitate and implement a Strengthening Communities of Care (SCC) Workforce Development Project to support the strategy. Specifically, PCT led the development of key sector research delivering the SCC Workforce Profile/ Baseline Report developed in 2020 and following that, a Workforce Development Implementation Plan that identified key initiatives for ongoing development.

These identified key priorities and initiatives were developed to ensure that Tasmania has a ‘skilled, responsive, confident, competent and sustainable palliative care workforce into the future’.

The concept of ‘communities of care’ acknowledges the role and value of both the informal and formal networks of care and the natural supports that exist in our communities.

Communities of care include those who make up the paid palliative care workforce, such as primary, specialist or community care providers and families, volunteers, carers, and community support networks. Together, these people make up our ‘community of care’.

These initiatives will encourage communities of care to work in partnership, build leadership capabilities and encourage research, innovation and continuous improvement.

While clinical expertise may be a necessary part of palliative care, clinicians and health services alone are insufficient to address the needs of people with life-limiting conditions and their families.

The SCCS recognises that everyone has a role to play in palliative care, dying, death and bereavement. We are all part of the ‘palliative care workforce’.

Quality of life at the end of life is reliant not only on high-quality clinical care but also on our communities’ strength, personal networks, family members, volunteers, and neighbours.

Informal supports and community networks play key roles in meeting people’s physical, social, emotional, and cultural needs at the end of life.

The following SCC projects were delivered between 2020- 2022 and work towards strengthening the palliative care sector workforce for the benefit of all Tasmanians living with a life limiting illness.