Enduring Strategy 3 – Great beginnings and a dignified end of life

Investing during the first 1,000 days of life significantly influences a child’s health and wellbeing later in life.

Priorities for 2023

• Developing partnerships with government departments and communities, to better coordinate and integrate services for children from conception to 2 years.
• Developing Community Hubs that support coordinated, child-centred care, making it easier for children, young people and families to access a range of health services at one facility.
• Continue implementation of the Health Navigator Pilot Program to coordinate the health needs of children entering out-of-home care. The program ensures timely provision of health assessments, by providing children and their caregivers with coordinated health services and support.
• Development of a child-friendly, community-based oral health education and dental care service for WA children under the age of 5.

Achievements to date

• Construction of the Midland Community Hub is progressing, following completion of design in November 2022. Development of a Hubs Cultural Safety Plan with Aboriginal consumers and staff, to support the vision of a culturally safe and welcoming space. Continued progress on collaborative service delivery projects, with the ultimate aim being to make it easier for children, young people and families to access the support they need.
• Launch of the Health Navigator Pilot Programs in the South West (November 2022) and Mirrabooka (December 2022) to help children in out-of-home care navigate and access health and mental health services. The program is successfully partnering with the Department of Communities, WA Country Health Service, South West Aboriginal Health Service, Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service, Noongar Family Safety and Wellbeing Council, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, CREATE Foundation and ISHAR. Half of the Health Navigator program team are Aboriginal people, in recognition of the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children and young people in out-of-home care.
• Launch of the ‘My Baby WA’ app in 2021, providing pregnancy, birth and baby information to Western Australian parents at the touch of a button. The free app is available on the Apple and Android app stores and was designed in collaboration with the Health Consumers Council and the WA Country Health Service. 

Achieving respectful and appropriate end of life care and choices, including enhanced palliative care services and support, is vital to meet community expectations and the needs of an ageing population

Priorities for 2023

• Community service models in palliative care with a focus on effective transitions of care
• Improve consumer uptake and clinician usability of Advance Health Directives and Advance Care Planning
• Implementation and evaluation of the National Partnership Agreement: Comprehensive Palliative Care in Aged Care 9 pilot projects
• Support for the first review of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act (2019), focussing on the operation and effectiveness of the Act since its implementation
  

Achievements ot date

• Voluntary Assisted Dying legalised in Western Australia on 1 July 2021, giving terminally ill people the ability to choose the manner and timing of their death. Over 30 practitioners have completed the approved training and are able to support people who request Voluntary Assisted Dying..
• Delivery of Implementation Plan One 2020-2022 of the WA End-of-Life and Palliative Care Strategy 2018-2028, providing state-wide strategic direction for end of life and palliative care.
• Release of an updated WA Advance Health Directive form and suite of resources on 4 August 2022. The changes make it easier for people to understand and complete an Advance Health Directive, includes a new section on values and preferences, and provides additional guidance on the process for individuals and health professionals.
• Development of WA Health’s Strategy for Advance Care Planning Education and Awareness Raising: For health professionals and the community in August 2021.
• Partnering with Silver Chain to deliver initiatives that improve palliative care in the community, including 2 pilot programs which commenced in June 2021 focussing on transitions of care through streamlined referral and overnight support for carers needs.
• Release of new resources and publications to support contemporary care:
  • End-Of-Life and Palliative Care Education and Training Framework
  • End of Life and Palliative Care for People with Dementia Framework
  • WA Paediatric Strategy for End-of-Life and Palliative Care 2021-2028
  • WA Optimal Paediatric Palliative Care Pathway
  • Aboriginal End of Life and Palliative Care Framework
• Launch of new Compassionate Communities local government grant funding program in March 2022 which provided a total of $40,000 in grant funding to support local governments to develop and/or expand initiatives to integrate end of life and palliative care support into the community.