By Charlotte Varcoe

A Hospice facility for those needing palliative care but are unable to receive care in their homes or at local hospitals may be one step closer.

In Home Hospice Care representatives met with the Minister for Health and Wellbeing Chris Picton as well as the Limestone Coast Local Health Network (LCLHN) and representatives from Member of Mount Gambier Troy Bell's office to discuss opportunities for the broader community.

According to the South Australian Health and Wellbeing Strategy of 2020-2025, over the four years from 2012/2013 to 2016/2017, palliative care provided in Australian hospitals increased by 25.6 per cent with dying in a hospital no longer the preferred option.

South Australia had the highest rate of palliative care related hospitalisations in the nation with 38.5 per 100,000 people in 2016 to 2017.

Hospice Care chairperson Maureen Klintberg discussed funding a feasibility study to see if a hospice-based stand alone facility would be needed.

The facility would be dedicated to those who could no longer receive palliative care at neither home nor the hospital setting, with many now having to turn to aged care facilities.

Ms Klintberg said the meeting was "very encouraging" with a very "open conversation" around the table.

"I think having the representatives from the Limestone Coast Local Health Network also to work alongside us and include the acting chief executive officer as well as the Minister was great," Ms Klintberg said.

"It was great to have Minister Picton listening to personal experiences and about the gap in our services and the need to continue to build on palliative and end-of-life care for our community."

She said after the community spoke out in 2019 about needing more services, it was "made very clear" the community saw a gap in existing services.

"Since then we have developed the In Home Hospice Care program which was modeled off a similar service in Warrnambool and now it is an integral part of the community based palliative care," Ms Klintberg said.

"Our main problem with the In Home Hospice Care program moving forward is the lack of continuous funding and we are still persisting in our approach to the government for assistance."

She said it was disappointing to have a "lack of equity" in palliative care in regional areas compared to metropolitan areas and the ability of the LCLHN to fund the coordination of palliative care volunteers.

"Our State Government has recognised in the South Australian Health and Wellbeing Strategy there is a need for quality end-of-life care," Ms Klintberg said.

"It recognises the quality of clinical care provided by our acute hospitals at end-of-life is excellent but it is not always provided in an environment with access to palliative specialists or expertise or in a setting which meets the spiritual cultural therapy periodic needs of the person or loved ones."

She said one of the reasons the feasibility study was needed was to determine the size of the facility as well as the number of beds and the model which would suit the Limestone Coast.

"Our population here is an aging population and we would be looking at the level of chronic illnesses and not only our current needs but the future's needs as well," Ms Klintberg said.

"We are also hoping to keep patients local as we know there are patients being discharged to Millicent and Penola into aged care facilities so the study would look at all those aspects which will then be taken into account.

"People are not receiving palliative care early in their diagnosis of a life-limiting illness and the main barrier would be the funding for the start of a facility and deciding on the management structure of the facility."

Mr Picton praised the committee on its work thus far as well as its "passion and desire" to see improved palliative care services.

"The practical suggestion was to do a study about what other services are in place in similar regional areas across the country and the work the team has already done, it seems there are lots of different models," Mr Picton said.

"We also need to have a good look at all the data in terms of the number of people we are currently able to service and the number of patients palliative care could be provided for.

"The study would be worked through with the local health network and it was great to have the acting chief executive officer and chair at the meeting so they now have a strong picture of the issues people are seeing in the region."

In terms of the future funding for the In-Home Hospice Care Program, Mr Picton said its previous grants were not ongoing funding with the State Government providing local health networks with funding to "commission the funding to where it sees the need".

"I would encourage the group to work with the network in terms of how they can work together and if there is the potential for funding or not," he said.

"My early advice is what is being provided from the group is not so much clinical support but more emotional assistance to support families, whereas the priority for the health network is focused on clinical support."

Mr Bell also commented on the meeting and its results, stating he was pleased to have Mr Picton showing an interest in the palliative care services.

"For a facility like this to get off the ground we need to ensure that it is sustainable, and a feasibility study is the first step in that journey," Mr Bell said.

"I strongly believe those who have been given a terminal diagnosis deserve the dignity of choice on where to spend their final days."

Acting chief executive officer of the LCLHN Angela Miller said it was "good to get the conversation started" on the importance of strengthening the delivery of palliative care services in the region with the board planning to continue the discussions at the end of the month.

Once the feasibility study was approved and completed, it was then expected the committee would host a community forum.