March marked a significant moment for Palliative Care at Princess Alexandra Hospital with the opening of four dedicated palliative care beds.
Held within the Division of Medicine, the number will grow to eight beds in total in the coming months, the prospect of which brings much delight for Senior Palliative Medicine Specialist, Dr Ben Gunawan.
“This is a monumental occasion for Palliative Care at PA to have dedicated beds,” he said.
“My predecessor championed the mission throughout his 14 years in the role, so I’m pleased to see this has occurred in his lifetime, even if he doesn’t work here anymore.”
The admitting rights for the beds rest with Palliative Care under the leadership of Dr Gunawan with referral processes in place for all divisions able to refer to palliative care as they previously did.
“The difference now is that referrals to our Palliative Care service involve transferring from that division to Palliative Care instead of the consult service we have provided up to this point,” Dr Gunawan said.
“The benefits for patients and their families to receive dedicated palliative care speak for themselves, but the added benefit is that nursing staff on the ward no longer need to manage the phone calls and documentation related to the patient as this is now managed by our Clinical Nurse Consultant, Director and two part-time Medical Officers.”
The beds are located within the Division of Medicine between Ward 5A and Ward 5B.