The campaign for a stand-alone palliative care unit at Westmead Hospital is pushing forward, with Parramatta MP Geoff Lee set to take the message to Parliament.
The ‘Westmead Push for Palliative Care’ campaign, covered in the November 16 edition of Parra News, has garnered significant attention – particularly from Local and State Government figures.
In December last year, the City of Parramatta Council endorsed a motion by Councillor Sameer Pandey that sought to advocate to the State Government on behalf of the campaign.
Now, Dr Geoff Lee will take the matter to Parliament House, with a petition to be tabled in today’s sitting on Tuesday, February 9.
The support follows significant effort from community campaigners, particularly, former Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD) Palliative Care Director, Dr Phillip Lee, who champions the importance and need of this ward at Westmead – especially for complex cases.
His advocacy and 1000 signature-strong petition came after the closure of Westmead Hospital’s Supportive and Palliative Care Unit in 2009.
Currently, there are some dedicated palliative care beds inside Westmead’s cancer ward, however Parra News understands these beds are used for other types of patients as needed.
Dr Geoff Lee met with Dr Phillip Lee recently and said he felt it was an important issue for him to get behind.
“We’ve got a million dollar development for Westmead, so a 20-bed palliative care ward seems like the right thing to do; we’re one of the largest hospitals in the state,” he said.
“End of life decisions are important for families and people.”
Dr Geoff Lee said he hopes a palliative care ward would be included in the new Westmead Hospital development but said he respects it is difficult and that space is a large issue.
Dr Phillip Lee said it was great to see growing support for the cause.
“All we want is for the WSLHD to at least investigate the appropriateness of what we
are asking for,” he said.
However, the WSLHD is remaining firm on its position to continue operations as is.
“Across WSLHD hospitals we have excellent palliative care specialist clinicians to support patients requiring care in hospitals where this is needed,” a WSLHD spokesperson said.
“Palliative and supportive care continues to be provided at Westmead Hospital, where an extensive $3.8 million refurbishment to the cancer and haematology ward was completed in 2017.
“Under the refurbishment the ward was remodelled to create more single rooms, ensuring the area is suitable and appropriate for both cancer and palliative care patients.”
Patients can also be referred to Mt Druitt’s palliative and supportive care unit or use provider ‘Silver Chain’ for in-home care.
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.