Boost to palliative care in Toowoomba

A Toowoomba aged care provider has joined forces with the respected Toowoomba Hospice in a staff training initiative that will boost the delivery of palliative care in the region.

Nursing staff from Lutheran Community Care’s Salem Lutheran Rest Home and its sister site Northridge Salem will perform supervised shifts at the hospice from this month to give them exposure to the very best palliative care techniques.

Under the arrangement, Salem and Northridge Salem registered nurses will be rostered to perform one shift a week at Toowoomba Hospice over a five week period. During these shifts they will ‘shadow’ hospice staff while performing practical palliative care training. The skills they gain will then be transferred to their aged care practice.

Salem and Northridge Salem general manager, Terry Arthur, said the partnership would ensure his staff were at the forefront of the latest palliative care techniques.

“The need for palliative care services in the aged care setting is expected to increase in the future, so if we up-skill our staff early we believe we will be on good, firm ground for the future,” Mr Arthur said.

“While all of our nurses would have received training in palliative care as part of their studies, this partnership will allow them to refresh their skills and give them practical exposure to the very best techniques.’’

The costs of the training program are being met by Lutheran Community Care.

Toowoomba Hospice director of nursing, Alicia Trimingham-Turl, said the hospice was passionate about sharing its expertise with the wider community and the new training partnership was aligned with that vision.

“We are one of three standalone hospices in South East Queensland and this sort of partnership would be a first for our industry,’’ Ms Trimingham-Turl said.

“We see it as a win-win arrangement: Salem will reap the benefits of having up-skilled staff and the Hospice benefits knowing that by sharing our knowledge we are helping to ensure good palliative outcomes for patients in the wider community.

“I commend Terry Arthur for his initiative in establishing the program and congratulate Lutheran Community Care for funding it, as many aged care services would not be in a position to do that.’’

The first two nursing staff – one from Salem Lutheran Rest Home and one from Northridge Salem – will commence their shifts at the Toowoomba Hospice this month.

The new service agreement mirrors a similar acute care training initiative between Salem and Toowoomba’s Hospital, which has been operating successfully since 2010. Under that arrangement, Salem nurses complete a 42 week training program in the hospital’s acute care ward to boost their practical skills.