Our Story

Dr Yvonne McMaster, presenting at the Orange Push for Palliative Care Forum, 20 May 2018

At that meeting, Dr Yvonne McMaster, who had formed the state-wide organisation Push for Palliative, was a guest speaker. Dr McMaster has been a passionate advocate for improving palliative care services across the state. She is a retired palliative care physician and has been instrumental in advocating for increased funding for palliative care – more specialist palliative care physicians, more specialist palliative care nurses and other staff. Dr McMaster has volunteered countless hours to improving palliative care in NSW – extensively travelling across NSW to lead the advocacy push.

Orange Push for Palliative is a strong advocacy group made up entirely of volunteers. These volunteers are passionate to make a difference in palliative care and all have personal stories to tell that drives their involvement.

Orange Push for Palliative has organised two public Palliative Care Forums in 2016 and 2018 that have been very well supported by local stakeholders, the Western NSW Local Health District, the Ministry of Health, Cancer Council, Orange Aboriginal Medical Service, LiveBetter and Orange City Council. Our local State MP, Mr Phil Donato, has been passionate and determined in his support for improved palliative care services. Federal member Mr Andrew Gee has also indicated his support. At that first Forum in May 2016, over 400 people attended.

In 2017 over 10,000 signatures were collected from our local community, strongly requesting that palliative care services be improved in Orange. Mr Phil Donato presented these signatures to NSW Parliament in June 2017.

In 2017 there were no designated palliative care beds in Orange. Patients needing in-patient end of life care are nursed in busy acute wards where there was a constant churn of beds and patients. The Hospital made serious attempts to allocate patients to the single rooms but this did not always happen and these single rooms are scattered all over the hospital. It did not allow for the concentration of nursing, and the specialist palliative care that is required for people at the end of their lives.

The hospital was, and still is, often bed-blocked whereby there are no beds available in the hospital and patients end up staying in Emergency for significant periods of time awaiting a bed. This pressure on beds means that there is a constant imperative to discharge patients or move them home or to outlying hospitals to cope with the demand. We constantly received this feedback from patients and their families.

At the 2018 NSW State election following strong advocacy from OP4P to Health Minister Brad Hazzard, the premier announced a 12 month trial of four palliative care beds at Uniting Parkwood.

Announcing the Uniting Parkwood Trial : MP Phil Donato, Catherine Nowlan General Manager Orange Hospital, Richard Cheney WNSWLHD, Tracy Wilkinson OP4P, Mark Spittal A/ Chief Executive WNSWLHD

In March 2019 the Palliative Care beds were opened. It was fully funded by NSW Health and the Local Health District (The LHD) and was supported by local GPs, the Specialist Palliative Care team and the HOPs specialists at the Orange Hospital. Uniting Parkwood was located in a residential street, close to the CBD, a pharmacy and within walking distance to shops and food outlets. It was private, with easy access for families, and had a large garden with established trees. There were four large modern rooms with ensuites, a family sitting room, private kitchen and dining area. OP4P, and the local community were involved from the outset providing original artwork for the rooms and corridors, handmade quilts for the beds, Smart TVs and other home-like amenities.

The Uniting Parkwood trial was embraced by the community, with their experiences consistently positive. The trial was extended to December 31, 2021, but was discontinued by the Local Health District citing financial constraints. OP4P entered into a strong stage of advocacy with the LHD about next steps.

In 2021 the General Manager of the Orange Hospital, Ms Catherine Nowlan, proposed a redesign of the location of the HOPs service (Haematology, Oncology & Palliative Care) at the hospital and the recommissioning of Medical Ward A for HOPs patients. There would be two (2) dedicated beds with the possibility of utilising the nearby surge beds. There was a kitchenette, and a family room in a quiet(er) area of the hospital, and access to a central garden on the ground floor. The rooms were of good size with ensuites and large windows overlooking the golf course.

Despite OP4P’s reluctance to support moving end-of-life care back into the hospital it was felt by our membership that it was, at that moment in time, the only way to embed & grow palliative care within the hospital.

OP4P therefore was heavily involved with provisioning of the rooms in Medical Ward A: quilts were donated for each bed, lounges, sofa beds, easy chairs and lamps were purchased, most of the artwork from the Parkwood donations were hung in the rooms and corridors. All attempts were made to make this space as home like as possible. Ten (10) of our members are formal volunteers at the hospital & we work closely with the Nursing Unit Manager and the Administration Assistant to ensure that most needs can be catered for.

We are very proud of our hospital. However its “busyness”, and its hustle and bustle, and the subsequent pressure on beds, means that it is often not the place for the needs of people requiring quiet, peaceful, palliative and end of life care. They need a peaceful sanctuary where they can receive expert palliative nursing and medical care without the pressure of a level 5 hospital.

Our ultimate goal is for a free-standing 12 bed hospice outside, but close to, the hospital. The hospice would offer more than end of life care, but also respite for families and symptom control and pain management. Prior to the 2023 NSW State elections we lobbied all political parties and candidates for a hospice. The Coalition government was overturned, and in their final months in office offered many inducements to critical electorates. The disparity in the allocations of funding across electorates was quite stark and did not reflect rational decision-making based on need. Our electorate with two designated beds received $3 million for three additional end of life care beds at Orange Hospital. Tamworth, a much smaller hospital, received $21 million for a new 12 bed hospice - an increase on their existing 6 palliative care beds.

In March 2023 OP4P formally launched its quest for a Hospice in the Bloomfield Health precinct. We are currently working with the new government & NSW Ministry of Health on the World Class End of Life Care Project which will increase the designated end of life care beds at the hospital from two to five.

We see this much needed increase in beds at the hospital as a significant step forward to reach the ultimate goal of a hospice for Orange.

Front page of the CWD: March 2023 The announcement of funding for the three additional beds at Orange Hospital - this will make 5 end of life care beds in total.