WHEREAS the current model of palliative care services does not address the critical needs of small rural and remote communities in British Columbia; AND WHEREAS lack of palliative care does not allow for residents to end their life with dignity in their home community near family and friends: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that the provincial government provide additional palliative care services throughout British Columbia.
Ministry of Health End-of-life care is an important component of health care. In British Columbia, health authorities are responsible for planning and delivering health care services for the residents of their jurisdictions, including end-of-life care. Health authorities provide the best possible quality of life for dying patients and their families by offering a range of options wherever the client is living whether in their home, hospital, hospice, assisted living residence, or a residential care facility. The goal is to ensure that clients have a range of alternative care settings and that palliative patients have access to quality care at the right time, in the most appropriate setting. End-of-life care is continually evolving and as BCs population grows and ages, government has recognized this area as an expanding priority. Great improvement has occurred over the last two or three decades in palliative care and, in particular, the ability to manage pain and other unpleasant symptoms. By combining the best of modern clinical palliative care with services to support peoples social, psychological and spiritual needs, society has the means to deliver a very high standard of end-of-life care. The BC Palliative Care Benefits Program, started in 2001, supports BC residents of any age who have reached the end stage of life-threatening illness and want to receive medically appropriate palliative care at home. The intent of the BC Palliative Care Benefits Program is to allow patients to receive palliative care at home rather than be admitted to hospital. The program gives palliative patients access to receive the same drug benefits they would receive as if in hospital, and access to some medical supplies and equipment from their health authority. Many individuals would prefer to spend their final days at home rather than in hospital. The Ministry of Health the Ministry and its partners plan services that support high quality end-of-life care at home. Home and Community Care services throughout BC include hospice palliative and end-of-life care to allow people to be cared for at home for as long as possible, andor to be admitted for short term residential care up to and including death. On September 1, 2011, advance directives became another new legal option for capable adults in BC to do advance care planning to make their wishes known for their future health care treatment decisions, and management of their routine finances and personal care without having to visit a lawyer. Advance care planning allows any individual to document his or her wishes and instructions for future health care. For more information, please visit the following websites: End-of-life: http:www.health.gov.bc.cahccendoflife.html Advance Care Planning: http:www.health.gov.bc.cahccadvance-care-planning.html Additionally, on February 14, 2012, the Minister of Health announced actions to improve the lives of seniors. The Improving the Care of BC Seniors: An Action Plan addresses concerns expressed publicly and directly to the Minister of Health and the Ministry by families and care providers. One of the actions includes the establishment of the Office of the Seniors Advocate to ensure concerns and complaints are responded to and resolved in a timely manner, including end-of-lifepalliative issues. Here is the link on the BCSeniors.ca website where the action plan can be found online: http:www.seniorsbc.ca In April, 2012, palliative patients living at home across BC became eligible to receive the newly expanded After-Hours Palliative Nursing Service AHPNS. This service gives palliative patients and their caregivers anywhere in BC telephone access to specialized nurses when their community nurse andor physician may be unavailable. The AHPNS complements and does not replace existing palliative nursing services available during the day. The hours of operation are from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. Pacific Time, seven days a week. Initially in Kelowna, Vancouver Community and Victoria, current after-hours palliative services will remain in place and palliative patients in those areas will not call the provincial AHPNS. With regard to client fees, many palliative care services are funded through the health authorities, however; a portion of the fee for short term residential care is paid by the patient. In situations where the assessed client rate may result in serious financial hardship, a client may apply to the health authority for this fee to be waived. British Columbias policy document, A Provincial Framework for End-of-Life Care May 2006 continues to provide direction to health authorities, health care providers and service delivery organizations as they plan and deliver end-of-life care. The Ministry has also made significant investments in palliative care in recent years, including the introduction of new physician and specialist physician fee codes to support palliative and end-of-life care planning and advance care planning with patients. In addition, the Ministry is working collaboratively with the BC Medical Association, Impact BC and Home and Community Care nurses to deliver physician education in palliative care. These new initiatives are being well-received by the public and health care providers alike and support the Ministrys goal to ensure British Columbians have the majority of their health needs met by high quality primary and community based health care and support services. The Ministry and the health authorities are diligently supporting individuals in end-of-life care planning and service delivery in BC.