You’ve been dying to meet me: The story of palliative care social work in rural WA

The implementation of the Rural Palliative Care Model in Western Australia is a key election promise initiative, which is being realised throughout the WA Country Health Service by the establishment of Specialist Regional Palliative Care Services. Integral to the development of these core regional teams has been the important inclusion of Social Work.

Social Work brings a distinctive range of skills and experiences to enhance holistic approaches to patient and family care. To strengthen specialist social work leadership, stewardship and capacity building, the Rural Palliative Care Social Work network was established. This group has worked to ensure state-wide consistency, develop resources, facilitate collegial mentoring and support individual professional and collective service development.

This session will tell the story of rural palliative care social work through professional narratives and client vignettes.