Victorian Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner Collaborative
Background
Eleven health services across five rural and three metropolitan regions received funding to scope a range of innovative Nurse Practitioner positions that will enhance palliative care service delivery. Approximately 22 Nurse Practitioner candidates will be appointed by 2011, with an estimated total of 18 full-time positions across inpatient, community and outpatient palliative care settings in rural and metropolitan regions.
The funding will support Nurse Practitioner service model development, clinical supervision and professional support. In addition, scholarships for Nurse Practitioner candidates are provided by the Department of Health.
Collaborative service models have been proposed and endorsed by the Palliative Care Consortia. The proposed models will foster innovation and facilitate enhanced care and support that is coordinated and responsive to patient and family needs.
The following agencies will auspice the development and implementation of the models in the rural regions: Ballarat Health, Barwon Health, Bendigo Health, Central Gippsland Health Service, and Northeast Health Wangaratta. In the metropolitan regions the auspicing agencies include Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, Northern Health, Peninsula Health, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Southern Health and St Vincent's Hospital.
The Victorian Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner Collaborative (VPCNPC) is lead by the Centre for Palliative Care (CPC), with collaborative partners Melbourne City Mission and Banksia Palliative Care.
